Athena Black and the Dark Lord's Gambit
by Thewallflowerwithasword
Summary: Fourth Year has arrived, hard fought and earmarked with considerable loss. With this Fourth Year comes the Triwizard Tournament, Knights and villains, new and old. The board is set and the match is begun as Athena, Hermione, Harry and the rest head for Hogwarts once more.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, hello everyone. I know that it's been a while but I'd like to think the time away working on original works has done me and my writing skill some good. I took what I learned working on Athena and continued to learn. Also, I am proud to announce that I did turn in a manuscript to a publisher and they are considering it; I'm rather hopeful.**

 **I hope that, even with such a long time between me working on Athena, that I have kept to her character. We'll see, I guess.**

 **so once, more, I do not own Harry Potter nor any of the Easter Eggs within.**

Chapter One: Azkaban, Long Time No See…

Dark and angry waves cashed with a thunderous roar upon the side of the prison. The air was cold and felt like a slap to the face when Nym and I came out of our magical means of transportation. Last time I'd been to this rock I'd been severally unprepared for the conditions but a lot had happened since then and I'd learned my lesson.

As strange as it seemed coming to Azkaban was my way of decompression. The past week had been demanding and nerve-wracking and every other way to say it was downright stressing. If coming back and being different had a half filled cup of mixed emotions than the World Cup made that cup overflow.

Hermione had fallen in love with Dorcha Clagh and I felt our time there was too little for the discussion we needed to have. Only the promise of returning had gotten us back to the Weasleys on time for dinner. I think she could have spent more than just a scant full of hours chatting up the portraits.

She hadn't been too happy to get my watered down version of being backwards in time. Hermione just seemed to know that I wasn't telling her everything even with my carefully crafted story. The bookworm had just kissed me gently and told me that she'd get it out of me eventually. Then she promised to love me forever and wanted to see the library.

Dinner with the host of the Weasley household plus guests had been…overwhelming. I've never been asked that many questions and those are one of Kaylee's secret loves. I'm not sure which of the older brothers it was that got the questions knocked off but I was grateful for them.

Then there was the World Quidditch Cup, the very thing that I was meeting Madam Bones for once my trip to see my mum was done. With a sigh, I cleared my mind of recent happenings and focused my gaze upon the dreaded door of Azkaban. This time round, thanks to Lancelot, I could now understand what I was feeling from my tingling palm.

The door was laced with charms like unplotables, muggle repellants, years of patronus residue, charms for restricting access and the newest one was against animagi. There was no guessing as to why that last one had been added. Speaking of that dog, Sirius had been keeping a wide berth of me since our little spat at Dorcha Clagh; even when we were at the World Quidditch Cup he refused to speak to me.

Nym tugged on my coat to get my attention before jerking her head towards the door. Her hair had taken on a subdued color today and she'd tightened the scarf that was wound around her neck and lower face. I followed closely behind her trying, once again, to get use to the 'normal' clothes that Hermione had dressed me in.

For some reason Hermione had chosen to dress me in kaki cargo pants (homemade by Jubilee), a graphic long sleeved shirt (an Auror shirt that I'm sure was Nym's) and combat boots. The pea coat I could live with but I still had to wonder about the rest of it and how fast she'd put the outfit together and had revamped my wardrobe.

Not sure that Jubilee had been pleased with Hermione's request that my wardrobe not look like I'd brought it back from the Uprising. In the few days after the World Cup, I'd seen Hermione and Jubilee with their heads together with sketch pads and clothing catalogues. Hope they remembered that I actually needed a uniform marking me as a Knight of Camelot.

Nym slipped her hand into mine as we passed through the door and she conjured her swan patronus. It'd changed since the last time she'd cast it, if Nym was to be believed. I couldn't remember if I'd ever seen Nym's before but she said that it'd been a Jack Russell Terrier. Made me chuckle to see it, though, and Nym gave me a shove when I asked if her pen pal in France knew about the change.

***A***

The jaunt down to Bellatrix's cell was a quick one that Nym didn't need directions for. I felt a little hesitant when I saw the door. For a moment all I could see was the memory of the way Bellatrix's eyes had changed. When she went from being my mum to crazed Death Eater.

"You okay, cousin?" Nym asked softly so that her voice didn't carry down the stone corridor. "You seem to be spacing out a lot since we got here."

I just nodded, nervously running a gloved finger over the scar on my cheek. "I'm fine, Nym just…I'm nervous," I answered back in the same soft tone. "My magic has been pulling me here. I just don't know what I'm going to find on the other side of that door."

Nym nodded in understanding, we'd talked about this. The pull towards my mother had gotten stronger over the last few days until I could no longer ignore it, earth magicks were demanding I be near her. It was about family and balancing… out something. I didn't really understand it even with all the voices in my head.

As I was considered an adult now, Madam Bones couldn't stop me from visiting without reason and neither could Aunt Andy. Nym had volunteered to keep me safe so that half a dozen Hogwarts students weren't following me to the forbidden isle of doom and gloom. She promised to return me in the same condition that she'd found me, Nym was the only one to find her joke funny.

"Well, Madam Bones did say that Bella was in better condition than last time and she'd got her wits about her," Nym reminded me. "Seems the constant meals and healing potions have been doing her good."

I just nodded and sighed deeply. It was now or never because I could hear Bellatrix moving around on the other side of the door. Nym gave me an encouraging pat on the arm before she tapped the door with her wand. As I passed through I realized that the door did more than keep the prisoner in, it kept the dementors out.

This time couldn't have been more different than my last visit. For one, Bellatrix was smiling with a healthy grin from a newer bed with actual blankets. She'd gained weight and her hair was brushed, done up in a quick braid. Had to smile when I noticed she was wearing my coat that'd been left behind last year.

Her eyes lit up when she caught sight of me, her greeting to Nym caught in her throat. I didn't even get to greet her before the woman was up and out of the bed, her arms wrapped around me. She had to go up on tippy toes to get her arms around my neck.

I wasted no time in hugging my mother back and inspecting her space over her shoulder. The bed sat on a small frame that had no legs, that was had warming charms, and was bookended by two stands. At the head of the bed was a small bookcase that was overflowing with books. There was a book on the floor that'd been in Bellatrix's lap when we'd came in.

The other shelf held clothes, familiar looking colored boxes and a full row of potions bottles and personal hygiene items. With my hawk eyes I could see that the clothes were of Jubilee's handy work, they looked warm and were in Gryffindor's colors. The boxes had Danny's company's logo etched into the handles; the red and blue boxes I could understand but I struggled to remember what the purple one was for.

My inspection ended when Bellatrix let me go and frowned at me. Gently she ran the tips of her fingers over the scar on my face, a tender touch vs. my nervous one earlier. She cooed over the scar before pulling me over to her bed, making me take my boots off before I could sit with her. Nym trudged to the corner, happy to be forgotten and overlooked.

"What in Merlin's name happened?!" my mother demanded touching the scar again. "The last my sister told me of you, my love, you were coming up on your final exams. You could have written me too, you know."

I tried not to grimace at the pained look she had. "I'm sorry, mum, I would have if I'd known I was allowed to," I admitted, trying to ignore that Scottish bur that clung stubbornly to my words. "Maybe I should've asked but I am sorry. As for this past summer, there's…there's a lot that happened."

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed a little and her grip on my hands tightened. "Andy is going to get a strongly worded letter about the sharing of important information regarding you, daughter."

I just nodded before admitting, "well, I think that it's better that I tell you what happened rather than Aunt Andy."

"And why's that?" I went wide eyed at the woman's tone, there was a dangerous lit to that Gran and Nana had when I was in trouble. Hearing it from Bellatrix was startling to say the least.

"Well, how much of this past year to were your told about?" I asked, curious to know what she'd been told.

Bellatrix nodded slowly before answering, "You're an animagus," she said proudly. "Beat your father by a bit, though he never spent much time as his animagus. He was a humming bird," she chuckled when she answered my questioning look. "After he transformed, Fergus cursed him so that any birds he produced for spells were humming birds, didn't matter the spell."

I grinned at that. "I think it was passed on, all I seemed to produce is humming birds too. However, I am a black sparrowhawk."

Bellatrix nodded before growling. "I know and you became it after getting knocked off your broom by bleeding dementors," she glared at the door and hissed like a cat would. "Remind me to strangle my cousin the next time I see him, you'll have to bring him to me but I digress."

"I think half of Wizengamot's wouldn't mind chucking him back in here," I told her ruefully. "He's quite the…well, he's a special bean, that's for sure. Moving on, though, umm…my friends and I caught Sirius at Hogwarts."

I was actually worried as I told her the story of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius, in a shack…with a wand. There was a murderous rage in her eyes that I feared would bring about that flash of blue, then she'd change again. Instead, she just held tightly onto my wrists and counted under breath after I'd stopped talking.

"So that bastard hurt you?" she asked, her eyes on my cheek. "Was it Sirius because I will bust out of here and make him rue the day he was conceived!"

I chuckled at the threat. "No, it wasn't Sirius. Though, I do like that threat," that got her to smile. "What do you know of the Knights of Camelot?"

Bellatrix's reaction was instant. She just blinked at me for a second before she leaned back. Her eyes took in me as if she were seeing me for the first time since I'd arrived. Carefully, her hand went back to my scar.

"You were taken by a Knight?" she asked and sighed heavily when I nodded. "I did research on them when I was still in Hogwarts. I assume that you learned family history the same as I, though I hope my sisters were kinder to you than our mother was to us." I nodded and she continued, "I found a letter about Rigel Black and it mentioned the Knights. I wanted to know why we no longer held Dorcha Clagh."

"Oh, we do," I countered quickly. "Well, I do. Nana put it trust for me…and I should have started from the beginning," I did grimace at her look of confusion. "Right, so, we brought sandwiches and drinks," I pointed to the bag that Nym had shucked and was sitting at her feet. "This is going to take a while."

***A***

I told her and, by extension, Nym (though she already knew) everything that had happened in eight months that I was gone. Well, eight months for me and two and half for everyone else. My mother listened intently and ate dutifully of the food that was placed before her.

She stopped me to ask questions from time to time but overall she just listened. It was hard to talk but cathartic at the same time. Hooch had told me it got easier with every retelling.

I hadn't wanted to tell this part because I when I did then the thing I feared would happened. We'd gotten to the part where I was flogged by Rhett when Bellatrix lost her control and her eyes flashed blue. However, before she could start ranting or Nym could react to pull me away, I reached out and put the heel of my hand to Bellatrix's forehead.

The force of magic that happened next had me wanting to toss the sandwich I'd shared with my mother. It was a massive dose of earth magick that'd been summoned by the voices and done before I could even understand what they were saying. I tried to collect myself as I leaned over the edge of my mother's bed, swallowing back that burning urge to throw up.

"What was that?" Nym demanded, she was on her feet with her wand drawn on my mother.

Bellatrix sounded dumbfounded when she answered for me, "she weakened the curse on me. Oh Morgan's socks!" she cried and pulled me to her, hold my face in her hands. "My sweet, sweet child, you are amazing. You weakened the curse to make me a Death Eater. I can feel the weight of it gone from my shoulders. Thinking is so much easier now, it's not gone because I can still feel him, the Dark Lord in the far back of my mind. What did you do and how do you have that power?"

I held onto her wrists and answered slowly, "earth magick, beyond that I don't know. It was the others, the Lancelots who've come before. Sometimes they just take over and do something, like I'm a puppet."

"I'm not sure I like that," My mother confessed.

I scowled as I said, "join the club, you can be vice-president. Gran's got dibs on being treasurer."

Bellatrix sighed. "I'm going to have to write Minerva about this. I do not like it no matter how helpful it is."

"No kidding," Nym huffed sitting back down before pointing at me, "don't think I'm going to keep this to me wee lonesome, cousin."

I ignored her because I didn't figure she was going to anyways. Instead I looked back towards my mother. A weight may have been gone off her shoulders but there was another one on mine. She'd been cursed to be a Death Eater, never had a choice in her actions and it'd earned her that one way trip here. Now she was free of that curse but still getting a lifetime of the same four, cold and dreary walls.

"It's alright, my love," Bellatrix's whispered, getting me to look her in the eyes. "What's done is done. As much as I'd loved to be out there, with you, this is where I belong."

I shook my head. "No, you don't, you never did. The Lestrange brothers belong here but never you!" those choking emotions were back. "You belong free and happy with Robert in Castletown in our home. Ya deserve ta be getting yer mastery in potions not rotting away in a cell! Riddle did this! He deserves this cell not ye!" I cried, my brogue thickening as my hurt and anger broke through. "Ya deserved ta be ma mother. Ta hear ma first words and see ma first steps. Ye deserved so much better than this."

Bellatrix held me to her while I sobbed out my emotions and just how unfair it was. The rest of our visit passed much the way. With me curled up in her arms.

She made me promise to not think of myself as a monster after I'd finished my story. Bellatrix had met monsters and what I'd done paled in comparison; not even when I willing hunted redcoats or tore Rhett apart. Sometimes the scariest thing to happen is when a good person goes to war; no one ever expects the killing to be done by them.

I did make Bellatrix giggle when I mentioned Hermione. Oh, my mother wanted to hear all about my girlfriend and didn't once care about her blood status. Only thing she commented on was that it was a good thing that neither Hermione nor I had been Slytherins, we would have ruled the school. Nym actually looked fearful at the concept because she knew as well as I that if I'd gone Slytherin then so would have Hermione.

"Soul mates and reincarnation is not out of the realm of being impossible, after all," Bellatrix hummed thoughtfully. "We do wield arcane forces and you did travel back in time. At this point I'm almost not surprised at what magic is capable of."

***A***

Nym held my hand tightly as we left Azkaban. I hadn't wanted to leave Bellatrix but between both women, they got me walking away. I promised to write now that I knew I could and I was going to try and find a way to free Bellatrix. Not that I mentioned that to Nym or Bellatrix because that wasn't an argument I wanted with them. I was in need of finding Uncle Ted and quite possibly before the day ended.

Having to be honest with myself, I felt much better for having talked to my mother. The balance had been struck but I couldn't pinpoint why. There was a lot about earth magick that I didn't understand and the voices weren't forth coming. That was irritating to no end.

Madame Bones was waiting for us upon our return the Ministry. She looked me over for injuries before nodding and dragged me away to her office; I knew better than to resist. The elder Bones woman wasn't happy for many reasons but I'm pretty sure that most of them extend from what happened at the Quidditch World Cup just a few days prior.

Bones's office looked the same as it had the last time I'd been in, that seemed like a lifetime ago but was, in fact, just a little more than a year ago. My kept my mouth shut as Bones conjured me a chair before her desk and told me to sit. There was this urge to point out that I was the wrong Black for that command but, again, I knew better.

"What in the name of Merlin's bleeding beard happened at the World Cup?" she demanded, hard eyes set.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair and shoved the voices of the other knights away. "Well, there were Death Eaters, magicals showing off and a strange case of the snitch catching team not winning the game." I shrugged and tugged at the corner of one of my cargo pockets. "IF you want details that's another matter. I feel my actions were justified."

"Athena," Madam Bones gritted her teeth, using my name for effect, "I want to know exactly what happened from the time you arrived at the World Cup to the point that you threatened a high ranking ministry official with a sword."

"Excalibur," I corrected and then winced that the flash of anger that wash over the Head of the DMLE's face. "Right, so, what happened? Well, it started alright…just let me say that pants, today's pants are really tight and rough." I frowned down at my lap and picked at the material, "got used to the soft cloth britches or whatever but Myne wouldn't let me wear what I wanted to wear." I looked up then and pouted slightly, "Said I was not a child of the 1700's therefor I did not need to dress as such. Joke's on her because I have two men who were raised in the 1700's in my head."

Madam Bones merely raised an eyebrow to cut off my rant. I frowned at the woman, trying to adjust my long frame in the chair she'd provided. Well, if she killed me now, I can say that I'm not the shortest lived Lancelot.

**A**

Hermione and I had made it back to the Burrow with ten minutes to spare before dinner was to be served. Dinner was outside in the garden that was void of those pesky little beings that the Weasley children truly despise. Not that I had much of a chance to consider their fate as Hermione dragged me by the hand to the dinner table where everyone was sitting. Would have been quicker to name those not present.

The group cheered when the caught sight of us. I wanted to turn around and go the other way because there was way too much joy for me to be comfortable. Hermione just tightened her grip on my hand and pulled me over to the empty chairs that were waiting for us. I did as commanded and sat; I tried to ignore the fact it felt like I was the odd monkey out of the group.

"So, where'd ya go, Whiskers?" George asked with Fred adding in almost the same breath, "and how did you get there? My galleon's on a portkey."

I was slow to smile. "Then you'd lose your money, Gred. I can apperate these days, they even gifted me a license to do it too. Just call me Black, Athena Black, license to apperate." I held up my hands in a makeshift gun and blew over the tops of my fingers.

The twins frowned and said, "I don't get it."

Hermione and Harry were snickering and it was the bushy haired bookworm who took pity on the boys. "It's a muggle reference to the movies and books about a British spy named James Bond. I thought you disliked those movies, Hammy?"

I nodded quickly. "Aye, I do. The man's a whore. If it were a woman who went around shagging that many men and killing that many people, well…just think all the nasty little comments that could be made." I tried not to frown when my aunts blanched at my usage of the word 'whore', Draco snorted pumpkin juice out of his nose at the sight of his mother's expression. "However, that is such a catchy line. I could be a secret agent…ya know, if I know how to be subtle."

"You sound Scottish," Su Li scowled and leaned forward over her plate. "Did you catch some sickness while you were away?"

"Su Li!" Hermione hissed and I just chuckled.

I nodded quickly as I slipped my arm across Hermione's shoulders to placate her. "Aye, I did. It's called Knight-itis. So, tell me, who's playing again in the Quidditch Cup?"

**A**

Madam Bones scowled. "Let me rephrase myself, Athena." I winced, maybe I went too far back. "What happened to get half the ministry pointing their wands at my niece?"

"Well, do you want the whole story or just the flashy bits?" I asked putting up my hands for peace.

The older woman's scowl turned into a glare and I swear the room got colder. "The flashy bits, child."

"Alright then." I puffed out my cheeks and decided to power through.

**A**

After a long argument the night before with Hermione about my dressing habits, compromise had been made with Jubilee to change my 'outdated' clothes to something more modern. I was grumbling about the tight long sleeve shirt with the t-shirt over top and the cargo pants with short boots (or what I considered short boots) as we made our way up to the portkey that Mr. Weasley said was waiting. Good thing it was a long coil of ship's rigging rope or we wouldn't have all fit.

Of course, waiting at the rope were Mr. Diggory and Cedric. The younger Diggory cried happily to see me and rushed me. I almost punched him in the face before he got his arms around me and swung me about. It was weird when he put me down and I was now a shade taller than him.

"You, my friend, are a sight for sore eyes." Cedric mused as he took a step back. "And taller too. What happened there?" he asked curiously tapping his chin to indicate mine.

I shrugged and replied, "Mahjong tournament gone wrong. Wouldn't think it but those things are dangerous. I'd rather go skydiving without the parachute."

"That's because you can turn into a bird and coast your way to the ground," Harry rolled his eyes at me as Hermione smacked me. I just grinned and shrugged; well…he was right and Hermione must have remembered the last time I used dangerous mahjong play as an excuse.

Without actually answering Cedric's question, I slid my arm across the boy's shoulders and maneuvered us towards the portkey. I hadn't answered too many questions about what'd happened while I was away and I wasn't about to start on a hilltop with a limited amount of time for that conversation. My avoidance didn't go unnoticed and there were a lot of frowns amongst my friends.

Arriving at the camp grounds was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing at what the magical world considered camping and the magic was obvious. There were tents that towered three stories tall with turrets and bird baths, little gardens and children flying around on toy brooms.

"Damn, I would have loved this type of camping a few months ago," I whispered to Hermione when she pulled me to the back of the group to help me get control of myself. "All we had was an enchanted tent that slept three and had room for a camp stove and for a while I didn't even have that! Just used a tartan with a warming charm as a sort of sleeping bag on the frozen Scottish ground next to a campfire that was burned down low with just a few hours' sleep. This…this is ridiculous. Please do not call this camping!" I shook my head as I wiped away tears. Even had to point out the poor, glassy eyed muggle who ran the camp ground, "this poor chap is likely to have brain cancer after this, think how many times they've had to oblivate him. Just better off knocking his arse out for the week and implanting false memories whilst having a muggleborn run the show. Why do they have to make it harder than it should be?"

Hermione slipped her arms around my waist and drew me into her side, her head resting against my shoulder. "You give them too much credit to plan ahead," she admonished, gently slapping at my stomach. "Also, I want to hear more about this camping in the dirt."

I shrugged as our group finally got admittance into the camp ground. "It was dirty and cold and dirty."

"That's a non-answer, Hammy," Hermione stated gruffly. "Want to try again?"

I looked down at her and frowned. "It was scary, uncomfortable and tiring, there wasn't to eat and we spent most of the day traveling. Didn't always have a horse to get around on. This was towards the end of the Uprising and a lot had been lost." I confessed lowly so just Hermione could hear me. "It wasn't like this at all," I gave a general wave to the chaos around us. "Not even when I first arrived. Rupert kept command and kept the Paladins under muggle radar."

Hermione listen, her grip around my waist was a tight one. I wasn't about to pull away because she was helping the building anxiety I was feeling. The crowd was starting to get to me because the last time I'd been in such a noisy crowd there was fighting involved.

I stuck close to Hermione when we arrived at the already pitched tents that had Sirius and Billy Weasley lounging out in front. My cousin's eyes narrowed when he caught sight of me but they lit up when they moved on to Harry. Pretty sure that Sirius wasn't expecting me as my being here wasn't accounted for when tickets were purchased; I was here as a guest of the Minister of Magic himself, wouldn't have looked like an insult otherwise.

After initial greetings and getting things into tents, Mr. Weasley sent us younger folk after water. Which led to various meetings of classmates who were not part of the Council at school, all of whom had no idea what my 'summer' had entailed. Apparently, I'd gone to France with Hermione and the rest; damn good thing I'd been there before.

**A**

"That's lovely, Athena," Madam Bones smirked, not sounding genuinely happy, "but we please get to the point."

I glared at the older woman. "You want the tale or not, ma'am?" I asked, no fire in my voice because I respected the woman too much and there was a nagging little voice that told me that was a no-no to snap her. "If I tell it out of order I might miss something. Like how when we got up to our seats near the Minister's Box there was a man with Winky. He was under an invisibility cloak."

Madam Bones frowned, for a different reason than my slow story telling skills. "Barty Crouch's elf, the one in you confiscated?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes, that elf! She told us that she was saving her master's seat and while I thought it strange that the man was under the cloak I didn't say anything. Magicals be weird, as Harry would say," I stated gruffly. "He looked glassy eyed and sickly; the bloke under the cloak, not Harry. I figured he had an aversion to crowds or anxiety or something about being seen. He was in the company of the elf and I'm sure whomever the hell he was, he's the one who cast the Dark Mark over the campgrounds."

Madam Bones quirked up an eyebrow questioningly. "Explain…and no sass, Lady Black, I'm not afraid to turn you over my knee. I do have your grandmother's permission."

Took every bit of self-control not to roll my eyes at the woman. I sighed and rolled my neck. "If he was with Winky in the Minister's Box then sense dictates that he was probably with her when she was found," I pointed out and then continued.

**A**

After Krum had caught the snitch and still lost the game, it was quite the effort to get everyone back to the set of tents at the Weasley campground. The boys, encouraged by Sirius but stopped by the other responsible adults, wanted to wonder off and join one of the Irish parties that was having their fun celebrating. I stayed quiet trying to soak of the happy energy my friends were putting out; maybe I could imagine myself like a dead battery and they were the charge that could bring me back from the darkness wherein I'd found myself.

I sat happily in the corner of the main tent where the boys were bunking, sort of smelled like cat piss, with Hermione and Susan and watched the rest with a butterbeer in my hand. Certainly wasn't the whisky that Claudia had gotten me into but it'd do for this environment. Susan nudged me when she noticed the small smile playing at my lips at my drunken memories.

"What are you smiling about, Whiskers?" she asked, getting Hermione's attention at the same time.

I shrugged and felt I should be honest with Susan. "I was thinking of my cousin, Claudia Black. She was sort of a bad role model I had while I was away but she still took care of me," I explained remember the brash woman. "After…after we'd lost someone important, we spent a month up north at the Black family village. There Claudia taught me out to out drink the tenants and that started bar fights. I was useless during them and would watch her kick butt from the corner because I'd couldn't remember how to walk. It sounds bad," both Susan and Hermione were nodding, "but Claudia was helping me to cope in her own way. The drinking had to be better than that dragon we chased out of the glen north of Loch Sgàthan."

Susan's eyebrows vanished up into her hair and Hermione slapped my shoulder and growled, "You took on a dragon?"

I pouted at my girlfriend as I rubbed my shoulder, "you do remember I is tender right?"

Hermione blushed and gave a soft smile. "You is a ham," she responded as Susan grinned boldly.

It was late when Mr. Weasley finally called an end to the replays that pitted Su Li, Draco and Harry against the force that was the Weasley brood. It was quite entertaining with Charlie's commentary that had Percy scowling at him for use of colorful language. Pretty sure that if Su Li wasn't so hung up on Neville (Hermione had whispered that they were together now) that she would have been drooling over Charlie; two words…being dragons and muscles.

I had to pick the punch drunk Ravenclaw up and toss her over my shoulder to get her to the girl's tent so she'd stop flirting with Neville. Then Su Li realized how far off the ground my shoulder was and started demanding her imminent release or there would be consequences.

"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your family!" Su Li was screaming as she thumped her fists against my back, my scars didn't appreciate the attention but I didn't complain. "Dishonor on your COW! AHHH!" she cried when I tossed her on to her bed and smirked. "You think you're so tough, Black, but we'll see."

I just shrugged as the rest piled in behind us. Ginny was giggling like mad as Susan dragged her in the by wrist and Hermione looked amused. I settled down on my little cot and merely kicked my boots off while the other girls started to change for bed, kept my socks after second thought looking down at my wiggling toes. Some habits, I guess, stick.

"Aren't you going to change, Athena?" Ginny asked curious from her own cot.

I shook my head. "Nope, little red, I'm not. If we weren't camping out then sure but you never know what's going to happen in group of drunken idiots with wands."

"You think there's going to be trouble," Susan asked sounding a little worried.

A sigh escaped me as I shook my head. "More like I don't trust groups of idiots with the spirits in them. Bar fights, my friend, bar fights all start the same way…some unhappy nutter with too little brain cells."

**A**

Madam Bones nodded at that. "That's pretty much true," she said. "The stories I could tell on your Gran back in the day. Don't tell her I told you this but your grandfather and his mates demolished the Broomsticks back in the day in a dust up. Individually they were smart but get them together and cavemen had the advantage; least they knew how to point and grunt."

I found that funny, more so because of how serious the woman sounded. "Yes, well, needless to say, your niece put her wand holster back on her wrist after that bit of conversation. You in the ministry realize the danger in not letting your youth have a little leeway in that whole restriction of magic right?" I asked curiously. "They fear using magic because they don't want their wands snapped and in that instance they cripple themselves when it comes to protecting themselves. Had Harry and the rest been able to cast they could have thrown up shields against twenty some people casting stunners in rapid fire. That sort of thing could have killed a herd of elephants, a group of magic-less teens wouldn't had stood a chance, and they didn't stand a chance!"

Bones gritted her teeth. "I have had that talk with my people and those involved about looking before they cast."

"No kidding, toss up one of those anti-apperation nets and something to negate portkeys and then go as most civilians had already fled," I shook my head at the foolishness of adults. "The voices do know that spell but sometimes they get excited and just become white noise as they talk over themselves."

"I had a thought about that," Madam Bones perked up. "How's the Great Wall of China in your head?"

I frowned realizing where she was going with that thought. "On the list of things I need to check on, it seems." I shifted in my chair and trying not to think about all that was needed to be done. "Back to the story, though, I wasn't asleep when the screaming started and Arthur Weasley stuck his head through the door."

"Yes, there were orders that there was the other knight was there?" Madam Bones was fishing.

I nodded. "Yes," I drew the word out, "Dimitri was there, he apperated when he felt I was in danger. It's a knight thing, earth magick senses. Same way I knew dumb adults were making mistakes. Intuition, that ability to read minds that I can't remember the name of…"

"You mean legilimency?" Bones offered.

"Yes!" I snapped my fingers together happily and pointed to her, "yes, that's that thingy."

Madam Bones rolled her eyes at me. "Continue with the story, silly child, and tell me what happened with the Death Eaters."

**A**

My boots were already tied and I was shaking Hermione awake when Mr. Weasley stuck his head in through the tent's door. He didn't look surprise that I was awake and already moving. The man stayed long enough to say there was trouble in the campground, then he was gone. I frowned at this as Hermione finally opened her eyes and I moved to shake Susan's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, her voice not laced with sleep as none of the girls had been asleep long enough.

I chuckled darkly as I moved on to Ginny. "Idiots causing trouble, what else is new?" I asked as I headed for the door, pausing to look back at the shocked group of girls. "Don't forget your wands."

My heart raced as I came out of the tent. The source of the problem was easy to find. Off towards the other side of the campsite was a group of shrouded people, casting spells and setting things on fire. Above them were human shapes floating in the air, dangling like puppets. The people feeling the group were in all out panic and not caring how they got away. My temper flared at the sight of faceless group reveling in the mayhem.

Without thought I called up my armor and felt it settle across my shoulders. My palm tingled as my shield came as well, strapped to my arm, the voices whispering that it could deflect even the worst spells. My attention was drawn away from the chaos as arguing broke out behind me.

"Hey," I glared at Su Li, who had her wand drawn and was ready for a fight. I got their attention "What do you think you're going to do with that, Su Li?"

Su Li squared her shoulders and held her head up high. "I'm going to go deal with those nutters."

"No, you're not," Mr. Weasley grabbed her arm as the girl started to move forward. "You and the others are going to go hide in the woods where it's safe," he growled and glared at his daughter when she started to protest. "Keep together and we'll find you later."

He then handed Su Li's arm over to Neville. Ginny was plastered to Draco's side, Susan was watching the chaos coming our way while Harry and Neville look steadfast. Hermione was frowning at me and I was torn. I wanted to go with them but the Paladin in me wanted to want towards the fighting.

"What about Athena?" Su Li demanded, tears welling up her eyes. Hermione wasn't the only one to realize something important. "She's coming with us, right?"

Hermione answered for the adults, "She's going with them." Her tone was one that made it clear that she didn't like what'd she'd just said. The words leaving a bitter taste in her mouth as she reached up and pulled me down to her. "You die, Hammy, and I will figure out how to bring you back just so I can kill you myself…do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered back knowing full well that, as the brightest witch of our age, she was more than capable of doing exactly what she'd just claimed.

Hermione glared at me. "Good, birdie," she said succinctly as she patted my cheek. For a second she waivered, her eyes on my lips before she turned and nodded to Mr. Weasley. "We got this, Mr. Weasley."

With a determined stride Hermione led our friends towards the woods. I didn't watch them go as I turned and then was surprised. My helmet decided to materialize right then and it was really frigging weird. I could feel the thing, there was a weight but I couldn't see the face plate thingy.

Instead it was like a heads up display that highlighted everything. It was easy to figure out, however, because it had a sort of IFF (Identify, Friend or Foe). Friends were in blue, non-combatants (those scared folks that ran past us) were in yellow and enemies were in red. I wasn't going to question how that worked or how people were designated cause that'd give me a headache.

"Cool," Bill grinned, "your eyes are Gryffindor red."

I groaned, really wish Bill would have called them something else because that hurt; I was no long a Gryffindor. "Freaking Gryffindor colors no matter what I do."

With a low rumbling grumble from my throat, I turned and started sprinting towards the fight. The crowd was thick and difficult to get through so I launched myself into the air with a wandless spell and shifted into my hawk form; that HUD stayed with me in my vision. As if my vision was magically tweaked already.

I had to smile, well mentally at least because I currently had a beak, at the whispered suggestion that came from the others in my head. As I came over top of the shrouded assholes, I found one and dove. Just before I got to that person I shifted back and used my own self as a battering ram; my shield up with my body behind and the person I hit didn't get back up, just whimpered in pain.

That was satisfying but I didn't linger long over the fallen, with a burst of earth magick I banished the Roberts family (the campground overseer guy) to St. Mungo's; looked like there'd been more done than using them as human puppets. With their main source entertainment gone, the shrouded figured zeroed in on me…well, crappy crayons with no sharpener.

There was a flash of light, almost brighter than the sun, lasted two seconds at the most but it was enough to ruin the night vision of most everyone but me. That was because my helmet helped and Dimitri had arrived. He was standing next to me with his wand drawn and his shield up; I didn't feel so bad now, the eyes on his helmet were glowing red as well.

Now, we Knights of Camelot, we went into the fray with those defenders of the public who'd arrived; apperating into the fight. Some of the hooded idiots didn't stick around, deciding that prey that fought back wasn't as entertaining. About a third had cleared out when the Weasleys and Sirius arrived.

One of the hood idiots raised a wand at Mr. Weasley and shot green light at him. I 'stepped' (that's what it was called in my head) towards the Weasley patriarch, zipping across the distance to get between him and the killing curse. The spell, which smelt like crushed stink bugs, hit my shield and sounded like a gong as it knocked me backwards. Sent me rolling and wiped out Mr. Weasley at the knees.

**A**

Madam Bones held up a hand to stop me there. "Wait, you stopped a killing curse?" she demanded in disbelief.

I nodded slowly. "Yea, as far as I know the spell doesn't go through physical barriers…right?" I frowned as I rubbed at my temple. "The voices vs. what we've learned in class is…difficult to tell apart."

Bones tired not to roll her eyes at me. "I mean, and not that I'm surprised because they were Death Eaters, but one actually tried to kill Arthur Weasley?"

"Tried and failed," I was quite happy that the Weasley patriarch had not died.

Bones sighed as she leaned over and opened the bottom drawer of her desk. There was a telltale clink of glass and liquor bottle. I watched as she pour herself a healthy draught and drank the dark colored spirit in one go; hey, that stuff is supposed to be sipped. Claudia would be having words right about now.

"Now," Madam Bones set the empty glass aside and looked back to me. "Tell me what is this 'stepping' that you mentioned."

I frowned as I tried to find the words to describe what had happened. "It is a bit like apperating but not. It's moving from one space to another within visual distance at a magically, superfast pace. Blink and you'll miss it happening." I didn't feel like I was explaining it correctly. "I can go farther than Dimitri can because I have hawk vision. To be honest," I looked up to the older woman, "I think 'stepping' was apperation before apperation was apperation. A precursor."

Madam Bones hummed thoughtfully and picked up her pen. I'm sure that she was making a note to look that up so that she could see if I was right. If I were the Department Head, I would make my aurors lean that little trick.

"Okay," Madam Bones looked up, her pen set aside, "where did your sword come into play?" she asked. "So far, all I'm hearing is that you were using your wand."

I shrugged. "After I took Mr. Weasley out like a bowling pin, same Death Eater numpty sent a plant monster with tentacles. Also, I'd dropped my wand when I took the hit. Had to chop my way out of the plant's grasp. I'd just summoned my wand to me, holstered it before a second plant attacked. Well, it was about to when I felt…or heard, my friends' fear. Dimitri apperated with me to protect them."

"And you holding Barty Crouch Sr., Head of Department of International Magical Cooperation at sword point?" Bones prompted, propping up her head on her fist with her elbow on the arm of her office chair.

I scowled at the mention of that douche-canoe. "How many sticks does that man have shoved up his ass? I doubt that man is capable of pooping." I asked incredulously and Bones snorted back her amusement. "How drool and boring do you have to be to be Sir Percival Weasley's role model? I almost stabbed that-that-that…"

"Constipated dick-swab?" Bones offered, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Yes, that bastard. He would not believe that Harry freaking Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Trouble-Magnet did not cast the Dark Mark!" I growled that all out in one breath, even days later that frustrated the hell out of me. "Not to mention that he refused back down and think like a proper human being and not a wrecking ball."

**A**

Dimitri and I had apperated in just in time, not everyone being shielded behind us had hit the deck quick enough. Neville was still trying to drag Su Li to the ground, Su Li was trying to draw her wand to cast a shielding charm. A quick look back showed that the original group had gotten separated and only Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Susan and Su Li had managed to stick together.

I growled as the red stunners continued to ping off our shields. They only stopped when Mr. Weasley screamed out, "STOP! THOSE ARE MY CHILDREN!" nice to know he claimed the lot of us.

My helmet vanished as I peeked up and over the shield, at least Mr. Diggory had the decency to look ashamed. My hawk vision could see him clearly in the garish green light of the snake and skull floating overhead. Mr. Couch looked incensed at the redheaded man who'd shoved his wand arm down; he was the type of man who had a stick shoved up his ass. Sirius's description from when we encountered the man earlier in the day.

"Which one of you _**cast**_ that?!" Mr. Crouch cried, pointing to the sky as Dimitri and I were helping the group of teens to their feet.

Susan Bones actually snarled as she demanded, marching towards the ministry official. "Excuse me?" she snapped and pointed to Harry. "That is Harry Potter, Mr. Crouch, the so named Boy-Who-Lived, the one responsible for the fall of Tom Riddle. I am Susan Bones, the niece of Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" she was practically screaming now. "HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST THAT WE, TEENAGERS, WOULD CAST SUCH A FOUL SPELL THAT WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH!"

I wrapped Susan up with an arm around her waist, picking her up and spun her around. "Whoa there, little badger. You want to let me handle this, yeah?"

"They could have killed us, Athena," Susan protest as Dimitri put himself between Mr. Crouch and us.

I whispered to her, promising to keep them safe as I handed Susan over to Hermione. Mr. Crouch grunted like a mad bull as he bumped into Dimitri.

"Move, or I will have you arrested!" the older man had growled.

Dimitri kept his calm, I watched his helmet vanish as I turned around. "No, because you do not have the…authority to have me arrested."

"I will have the one who cast that mark!" Crouch vowed.

Mr. Diggory stepped in then, eyeing me as I took my place beside Dimitri. "Barty," he pulled Crouch back a few steps. "They are children. I doubt they even know how to cast the mark, let alone _his_ mark," he pointed out and added, "especially Harry Potter. Let's try to think rationally." Mr. Crouch growled but kept his peace as Mr. Diggory let him go. Once he was sure that Crouch wouldn't rush us again, Mr. Diggory looked to me. "Lady Black, may I ask them some questions?"

I nodded and stepped aside for the man. I trusted Mr. Weasley, who'd already slipped around to be with the jittery group, to look out for them as their guardian. The Weasley patriarch had accepted that roll when he got permission to take them to the World Cup.

"Is everyone okay?" Mr. Diggory asked, his own fatherly instinct showing. Besides Susan still hiding her face in Hermione's shoulder (I'm not sure if it was because she was beyond furious and needed the grounding touch or because she was scared), everyone was just shaky and pale faced. When Mr. Diggory got a few nodded, one from Mr. Weasley, he moved on to his questions. "Did any of you, by chance, hear where the spell came from?"

Su Li nodded and pointed off towards the wood a little ways away. "Yea, Mr. Cedric's Dad, there was some dodo over there speaking shite." Su Li change? Never…

Mr. Diggory smiled softly as he raised his wand towards where Su Li had pointed. With that the man headed off into the brush; I would have followed but Dimitri stopped me with a hand on his arm. It was better to let Mr. Diggory handle this. We heard Mr. Diggory swear rather colorfully (I was impressed), there was some rustling of the bush before the man returned, an elf under one arm (snoring quite loudly) and something else that looked familiar.

"Hey, that's my wand!" Harry cried pointing.

"Ah-HA!" Mr. Crouch cried, trying to shove past Hestia Jones who'd taken up trying to keep the man back.

Excalibur was up and level with the man's throat as he rushed to grab Harry; he damn near impaled himself. Wands went up behind Mr. Crouch and once again Mr. Weasley was calling for peace. My eyes felt like they were burning (later, Dimitri told me they were glowing) and Mr. Crouch nary dared to breath least he cut his own throat.

"You will stand down, Mr. Crouch," I stated as calm and cool as possible, Excalibur resting over the top of my shield, "or I will cut you down. Your impatience and accusations are not helping the matter. As your Regent, I command you to step back and calm down before you are charged with child endangerment and you lose your position. Blink if you understand."

**A**

Madam Bones smirked as she said, "Auror Jones did say that your eyes were glowing, the whites were brilliant white and your pupils were scary green."

I frowned at that, scary green…really? "Your auror has an interesting way of describing things."

"Was she wrong?" Bones wanted to know.

I frowned at the woman. "How would I know? I wasn't looking at myself from a third person view while I was keeping your ministry colleague from attacking your niece."

"Fair point," Bones concluded. "Please, continue."

**A**

It was as Crouch was thinking over his choice, if I was serious or not, that Ludo Bagmen appeared. The same man who was, not a few hours before, was taking bets and merrily strutting about in his old Quidditch Kit. Smarmy git was the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He may have known how to announce a good game but after what came next, I think the man was pretty much useless for anything less.

Everyone flinched but me when there was a _pop_ that filled the air. Good thing too or Mr. Couch would have sprung a leak. Bagmen had arrived, the man looked harried and confused. He gaped when he noticed the group of discontent teens, Dimitri and I still in our armor, and then he looked upon the group of adults watching him.

"What's going on here?" Bagmen asked dumbly, not even the registering the sword at Crouch's throat, and then pointed to the sky, "what's up with that?" he asked as Crouch blinked at me and I lowered my sword. "Barty where were you at the match? Your elf saved your spot…and now she's on the ground? What in the name of Merlin's dingy underpants is going on?!" the former Quidditch player was apparently better at reading the pitch than group moods.

It was Bagmen's demand using Merlin's under clothes in vain that finally snapped Mr. Crouch's attention away from Harry and the rest of my friends. He paled when he looked down at realized that it was his elf on the ground. Now all the attention was on the faint looking Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

"This-this can't be!" Crouch exclaimed, this man seriously had a flair for the dramatic. He glared at Mr. Diggory and declared, "You must be mistaken!"

Mr. Diggory shook his head, kneeling beside the elf still and was still holding Harry's wand. "No, not really. There wasn't anyone else over there, Barty. I'm sorry." Harry tried to get the man's attention but was too late as Mr. Diggory, who worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, pointed his own wand at Winky's head and stated clearly, " _ennervate_!"

Winky moaned softly as the spell hit her. A little elfin hand went to her head, "oh's, Winky is not feeling well."

"Elf," Mr. Diggory's voice, being so close I would imagine, spooked Winky. She sat up and stared at the man with huge eyes before squeaking out a yelp for being the center of attention when she noticed the rest of us watching her. "Elf!" Mr. Diggory called again, snapping Winky's attention back to her. He held up Harry's wand and demanded, "Where did you get this wand?"

"I is finding it, sir." She stated pitifully, tugging at her large bat like ears.

Mr. Diggory narrowed his eyes at the elf before turning his wand on Harry's. Harry tried to move to stop this but Mr. Weasley held him back; Harry was probably thinking his wand about to be destroyed. Instead, Mr. Diggory performed a spell that caused the same image that was in the sky to come out of the tip of Harry's wand; smaller in size but still the snake and skull.

That only made things worse for Winky. Mr. Diggory glared at her and pointed towards the mark still in the sky. Personally, if I knew how, I would have gotten rid of that thing; it simply did not go with the outdoor/rustic décor. "This wand was used to cast that," he said almost harshly. "Can you explain that?"

Mr. Crouch started to sputter, "Amos, are-are you seriously suggesting that _I_ teach my servants how to cast dark magic?"

"Maybe," I interjected and pointed out when a lethal glare was turned on me. "You did accuse a bunch of teenagers of the same thing. What makes you so special if the likes of them," I pointed to my friends by jerking my thumb over my shoulder, "is capable of dark magic according to you?"

Mr. Diggory cut off what I'm sure was to be a very nasty retort, his snapped at Winky; rather loudly, "did you cast that spell, elf?!"

"Winky is a proper elf," Winky cried, big tears forming in her eyes, "she is not touching wands or knowing how to use them. Winky found the wand on the ground and was going to give it to her master. He is a smart wizard and would be knowing what to do with it!" she sobbed in explanation; she was so very scared.

"Mr. Diggory," I called out when he started to grill her again. He stopped and looked up at me. "If Winky says she didn't use Harry's wand then I believe her. Please return Mr. Potter's wand before he does something regrettable."

Mr. Diggory looked offended. "Lady Black…" he started and that's as far as I let him go before I held up a hand to stop him.

"I would rather be asking rather than telling, Mr. Diggory. Harry didn't cast the mark and I seriously doubt that Winky even knows how to use a wand because she has her own sort of magic." I pointed out. "At this point, all you are doing is terrorizing both the Boy-Who-Lived and Mr. Crouch's elf."

"But-but she was caught _red-handed with the guilty wand_!" he cried exasperated. Oh, boy, toss out a little dark magic and everyone loses their freaking minds. It worries me that these people are in positions of power.

Mr. Crouch spoke up then, forgetting that he was supposed to remain calm. "Are you accusing me of the dark arts?" he snapped angrily. "I should certainly hope that all the evidence that I have given over a long career has proven my distaste for those foul arts," he basically cried and once again, Mr. Diggory had the decency to look ashamed. Mr. Crouch looked to a teary eyed Winky and asked in a much less harsh tone; it was almost kind, "Winky, where did you pick up the lost wand, did you see who used the wand?"

She shook her head as she pointed towards where she'd been found. "Winky saw no one, sir. Winky is not knowing anything about," the little elf gulped and shuddered, "Winky is sorry is she is not being more helpful."

Mr. Weasley tried to ease tensions. "See, Amos, the guilty person probably stole the wand from Mr. Potter and then ditched it after casting the mark."

Mr. Diggory snapped then, "It's still suspicious."

Mr. Crouch frowned. "I know that you will want to question her more but I ask that you allow me to deal with her."

I saw Mr. Diggory clench his jaw, like a horse chewing at his bit, as he nodded. A sour feeling welled up in my stomach as Mr. Crouch nodded and then unpinned his cloak so it came away in his hand. Winky watched and started shaking her head, rocking back and forth. Blubbering about how she was sorry.

"Winky, you have brought shame upon your master," Crouch stated in a cold tone, I heard those behind me who'd grown up magical gasp in horror from behind me; they knew what Crouch was going to do. "I free you."

He started to toss his cloak at the elf but I caught it before it could land on the elf. Mr. Couch looked, first shocked and then more enraged than he'd been a moment before. He was sputtering indignantly as I threw the cloak back to him.

"Keep your cloak, Master Wizard," I tried not to snarl. "By the power that I hold, in the name of the Pendragon Crown, I confiscate the elf known as Winky." I didn't like what I had to say next but it was what the voices were whispering, "she is no longer your property, Mr. Crouch, she belongs to the crown."

A bright light enveloped Winky, changing the tea towel she wore to a smart looking uniform sundress with a belt round her middle. The dress had the same colors as the surcoats that Dimitri and I wore; blue and crème with the three crowns on the shoulder. For a long moment the only noise to be heard was the nervous rattling of the breeze in the trees behind us.

I think a lot of people jumped when I spoke next. "Winky," I smiled down at the befuddled and crying elf, using the kindest tone I had to ask, "do you think you could take my friend," I pointed to the group of stunned teenagers, "to the Weasley Burrow? Can you do that for me?" Winky was slow to nod and hiccupped as I smiled at her and knelt down. "Then could you please find Fred and George Weasley and make sure the rest of the group get to the Burrow as well?"

Again she nodded as I took Harry's wand from a befuddled Mr. Diggory. I held a hand out to Winky to help her up and the little elf took it, more out of reflex than thought. Her teary eyes never left me as I led her over to Harry, giving him his wand and Winky's hand.

**A**

"I'm impressed," Madam Bones confessed, "but I have no idea what you did."

I shrugged. "I basically took stole Winky from Mr. Crouch before he could crush her soul with his stupid freedom cloak. Not all elves are Dobby," I pointed out and from the look of recognition that crossed Madam's Bones's face, she knew the elf I was talking about. "It was unfair and he was only getting rid of her to save face. You know, it took me three hours that next morning to assure Winky that her former master's secrets were safe because I had not taken her as evidence or whatever. Its ancient magic, protects scumbag wizards, guess who wrote that law?"

"Scumbag wizards?" Madam Bones offered with a chuckle. "You do know that Crouch got Fudge involved in this little scandal. Minister had no choice but to back you, Athena. Now it makes sense if we presume you are correct and that Winky was with that invisible man that was in Crouch's seat."

"And we can't ask Winky one way or another because she's protected by law from reveling secrets to me or Dimitri as we are currently the only officials of the Camelot government." I added trying not to find amusement in Fudge's endorsement which I'm sure left a very sour taste in his mouth. "You know, people should be impressed that the only people that got punched _**by me**_ , mind you, were Death Eaters. It felt really weird to have authority and command."

"That will change over time, Athena." Bones promised. "You just have to keep demanding the respect while earning it at the same time. Thank you, by the way, for protecting Susan," Bones said softly. "I don't know what I would have done if she'd not have come home from that. Merlin knows how dangerous it is to be at Hogwarts these days but losing your life at something as silly as a sporting event?"

"Speaking of the Castle of Ill-Repute," Bones smirked at my description, "five galleons says that Harry, in some way, shape, manner or form, gets dragged into that stupid contest of Dumbledore's. The man is just begging for trouble."

Bones chuckled but didn't take the bet. Asking instead, "are you really going to force him out if something happens during the contest?"

I nodded quickly. "You bet I am. That man is playing loosely with the lives of his students and under the oaths that I have now, I can't let him continue. I'll throw him bodily out of the castle if I have too. If I were the school governs I'd be for finding his replacement because you and I both know that Potter and trouble are almost the same word these days." I wasn't lying to her, I really would do as I'd said.

"What now, Athena?" Bones asked sounding tired. "What's the plans for now?"

I shrugged. "Well, tomorrow everyone heads off to Hogwarts. I want to ride the train with them but Gran says I have to arrive early for last minute briefs and all that wonderful boredom." I frowned deeply. "She says I have to make a speech about the Knights and our dorm policies, sanctuary and all that. I already know that Draco is going to take sanctuary. There might even be Daphne Greengrass. I know that Harry wants Luna to claim sanctuary if he can convince her."

"Why do you sound worried about sanctuary?" Madam Bones asked

"I know that my friends are going to want to follow me to the new dorms but there is no reason to give them sanctuary," I pointed out. "They are not harassed by any means. They are not bullied nor do they _**not**_ fit in within their houses. There is no reason for me to grant them something that is reserved for those who are in actual need. Divines help me when Hermione asks."

Madam Bones smiled softly. "I do not envy you there but stand your ground and explain your reasons. Miss Granger will understand eventually. Make sure to ask her to the Yule Ball and give her flowers. We are women, Athena, we like flowers, chocolates and stuffed animals. Those little things at random times are nice to get." The older woman winked at me.

I frowned at the woman. "I think I'm going to doing those random things a lot in the coming future. Know any good shops?" I asked, sinking low in my chair.

Amelia Bones just chuckled and nodded. Cheeky witch was she.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I had thought about posting this on Monday but honestly, I got bored and I had this done so…y'all benefit from my boredom.**

 **So, I just wanted to mention a couple things. First, I'm not sure when chapter three will be done. I keep going back to my other stories to look things up and end up reading instead the whole 'seek and find' mission. Much like Athena, I'm easily amused.**

 **Secondly, I have decided to try my hand at for original content but I suck at social media. I'm the kind that's happy to sit back and just read/like what other's post and not post myself. It's weird when you realize that I do post stuff…here. Anyways, I've never done self-promotion all that well.**

 **Thirdly, a BIG, OUT OF THIS WORLD SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE who liked/favorited and subscribed/followed Dark Lord's Gambit. I am humbled and excited that y'all are still liking Miss Athena.**

 **I don't own Harry Potter.**

Chapter Two: Not the Same Goodbye as Last Summer…

Nym was waiting for me when I came out of Bones's office. My cousin was sitting in an office chair playing with her wand, using paper to act out scenes from Star Wars; the little cube of Frozen Solo was the best. Nym grunted irritably when she caught sight of me.

"Finally!" she cried and the paper figures fell. "I was about to get really bored and move on to Return of the Jedi! Merlin help the lot of us if that happens." My cousin can be so dramatic.

"Yes, well," I shrugged noncommittally. "Your boss had quite a few questions and she wanted the whole story. Besides, are you really looking forward to the circus that is the Burrow?" I asked inquisitively and Nym scowled. "I feel like our going away party-thingy gets bigger every frigging year and I'm sure the Weasley field had never seen this much use before. Only the genomes know."

Nym smirked as she started us towards the lifts. "That may be very true, little cousin." She scowled then and gave me a little shove. "I still can believe I'm going to be your liaison, I swear this is a conflict of interest." Nym shook her head as her hair turned a silly green from its normal bubblegum pink. "I'm not sure ole Bones-y Bones was think this thing through when she started tossing personal around."

"Maybe you should point that out," I told her as we enter the crazy elevator. "I don't mind working with family, Nym but if it makes you that uncomfortable then just ask her. Trust me, I won't be offended."

Nym just nodded as the lift started to move, headed for the lobby after Nym pushed the button. Once to the lobby, I shook my head when Nym asked if I wanted to head to the Burrow. I needed to talk to Uncle Ted and asked if he was at his office for the day.

My cousin didn't look surprised at my requested. Nym may have even been expecting of the query. She just nodded and pulled me into a hug and apperated away.

**A**

I remember Uncle Ted's office as being bigger. The man that I hadn't gotten to see much of since my return was sitting at his desk wearing reading glasses as he poured over legal documents. I didn't know that he wore reading glasses. I was trying to remember if I'd ever seen him with them before, however, the man smiled when he looked up and grinned when Nym pulled me with her into his office.

"Nym! Athena! Two of my most favorite women in the world," Uncle Ted cried happily as he took his glasses off and came out of his chair. He caught us both in breath stealing hugs. The man was strong. "What are you ladies doing here?" he asked after Nym had wiggled out of his grasp.

I leaned back against the edge of his desk as Nym shot off towards the little fridge still on the other side of the room. "Uncle Ted, I need…I mean, I wanted to ask if you knew if there was any way to help my mother." I felt so small as those words left my mouth and I blinked away the tears that were started to form. "I know she was cursed and I can prove it but I don't know how I can help her."

Uncle Ted nodded slowly as he sat on the arm rest of his couch. Folding his arms across his chest and put those tight shirts of his to the test. He hummed thoughtfully as he thought over what I'd just said, I could see the gears spinning in his head.

"Well, I'm not sure what we can do," he said and held up a hand to stop any response. "That being said because Bellatrix Lestrange was convicted of two counts of casting an unforgiveable. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, if you can prove that she performed those acts against her will then you might have some wiggle room." Uncle Ted shook his head, I think he was talking more to himself than to Nym and me. "It would also depend upon the curse too, if it was one that truly took away her free will, made her a thrall or if it was one that simply took away her inhibitions and allowed her to act on her inner urges," he mused and his eyes came back into focus as he looked to me. "Why can't you just order Fudge or Madam Bones to release her?"

The question didn't catch me as off guard as it had Nym; my cousin frowned as she hadn't given thought to what I was capable of before now. "Because," I stated simply, "that would be an abuse of power on my part. Also, my mother is not a subject of Camelot. She's never sworn allegiance to the Pendragon crown nor can she without a proper head to place that crown. It's the same problem that Aunt Cissy had trying to get her marriage annulled. I am only a proxy in larger means of government," I explained. "If there was no ministry to govern then I could have more power in the day to day things but I already stated to Madam Bones that I would only intervene if I was needed. My mother is not a subject of national concern."

"That sucks!" Nym declared, stopping for a second as she sorted through the goodies Uncle Ted had stashed in the fridge.

I nodded, she wasn't wrong. "Also, I would like to be as legal as possible about this so that people cannot proclaim favoritism. I don't want to strong arm anyone."

Uncle Ted grinned proudly at me. "I think that this firm can help you, Athena," he said as he popped up from his seat. "I just need to know how a secondary source can prove that Bellatrix was cursed."

"Scars on the magical core, I would think. Memorial evidence too," I shrugged as I tossed out suggestions. "I would bet my bottom dollar that the Lestrange Brothers were present when she was cursed considering it wasn't long after their 'marriage' that she turned dark," I scowled as the word marriage came out of my mouth. "I know that Lady Longbottom might protest but I think, don't-don't tell them this because I'm not sure because the voices…" I closed my eyes and tried to stop the mad rush of garbled words, "…I think that earth magick can heal what happened to Neville's parents, the same way that it tried to break the curse on my mother today."

"Say what?" Nym exclaimed. Both Tonks looked shocked at that confession.

I rubbed at my temples. "I think it would be a bit like mind healing but using the power of the earth. Natural healing whatever. The Druids of old could heal just about anything but that sort of practice has fallen away."

Uncle Ted started to nod as he said, "I think you need to have a conversation with our favorite mind healer." I groaned and he tisked at me as he shook his finger. "I never suggested that Healer Ball crawl inside your noggin, my overgrown niece," he chided softly, playfully. "I'm just meaning that if you can do this it can help more than the Longbottoms and would give us a sort of bargaining chip and could get Augusta on our side. Besides, it would be premature thinking to put forth this possibility and then not be able too."

"Also cruel," Nym added, "so totally cruel and you'd be a right knob-top wanker for giving that sort of hope."

I glared at her. "Thanks for that, Nym."

Nym saluted me with a cold butterbeer. "Anytime, little cousin, anytime."

**A**

Uncle Ted shooed us out of his office so that he could return to work and get things in motion. Nym had to coax me to return to the Burrow; I think she understood the fact that I was unease with how many people had gathered there. According to her Mad-Eye Moody was the same way before he decided to retire to some quite little place in the country, did so the day that I returned.

Freaking everyone had turned up to the Weasley house for the annual 'End of Summer Bash'. Not just my little band of year-mates but Ginny's friends plus the elder Holmes twins; with all those students came their parents as well. Plan was that everyone would just camp out at the Weasleys and then head for the station together.

The only piece of Nym's logic that got me to let her take us to the Burrow was the fact that I'd be hunted down otherwise. Whether by student or parent, I'd would be found and their dressing down would make Molly' howlers look like a kitten's meow. Normally that'd be heartwarming but at the moment it made me feel claustrophobic.

Dimitri was hiding near the apperation site outside the Burrow's wall. I know this because I could see through his cloaking spell while he sat against the wall and read. He was wearing comfortable clothes, for him, being loose trousers, tunic and slipper like shoes. The clothes were quite stylish with being velvet, satin and some cotton thrown in at Jubilee's discretion. There were embroidered works around the cuffs and neck of the tunic.

It was quite the contrast to the comic book he was reading whilst wearing headphones that were connected to a Walkman; one of my mixed tapes that he'd fallen in love with and nicked when he thought I wasn't looking. I never said anything about the 'theft' because it was my way of trying to ease Dimitri back into the modern world after going so far back. In retrospect, I'd gotten lucky with just the two hundred year gap.

Dimitri was a change of pace from the people I'd gotten used to being around. He was quiet, not something I was really used to with my group of friends, and reserved; though, that was probably learned because he had such a hard time talking from time to time. There was a natural born curiosity to him and he was very interested in my ability to shape-shift.

He was eager for animagi class to start at Hogwarts. Gran had assured us that those would continue this year even though Quidditch had been cancelled because that made sense. Why cancel the games when you only have three challenges through the whole freaking year? Made more sense just add games and teams to make a bigger league than just the inner house cup.

More competition with the other school…huh…I think I am going to have to override Dumbledore on this. Just make it so the chosen School Champions couldn't play. Yeppers, that's what I was going to do. In the meantime, I should probably find out why Dimitri was hiding.

I tossed a pebble at his knee because he would have heard me over the headphones. He didn't start, just looked up and grinned. Nym just smirked when the cloaking spell was removed and Dimitri appeared.

"What are you doing out here, Dimitri?" I asked, trying not to be concerned.

He'd pulled the headphones off and was killing the cassette player as he said, "I was avoiding the new arrivals." He took my hand to help him up. "The Lord Potter is very zealous…excited to finally meet us for…reasons?" he raised an eyebrow, he was getting better at talking. "Also, there are many sets of twins here, it is strange. Do you think magic causes duplicates like the Gemini charm?"

Nym grinned at that question. "Magic does like to multiply."

Dimitri frowned and nod. "This is true," he agreed and then tilted his head in question at my cousin. "Are you still our liaison with the Ministry?" he asked. "Because I would like for you to help with…a difficulty…no…knotty…not that either." Dimitri paused, counted to ten in Hebrew before saying, with his eyes still closed, "The Granger must stop having the joyful elf mess with my clothes."

I frowned; his problem the same as mine it would seem. "Hermione is having Jubilee dress you more modernly and you're not comfortable with that?" I asked and the young man nodded his head as he opened his eyes. "They too heavy and rough?" I wanted to know and again he nodded. "The voices in your head protesting?" Again he nodded. "I'll take care of that, Dimitri. Nym can be my backup."

Nym folded her arms across her chest and snorted. "You want to draw me into the line of fire?"

"Blacks going down in blaze of glory," I teased. "Besides, Hermione might not kill me if there are witnesses. She's trying to bring things back to the normal before the Statue."

Nym patted me on the shoulder and stated, "Good luck with that, little cousin."

**A**

We found Harry before we found Hermione. Probably should have gone to the pavilion that'd put up with the gathering storm clouds. Instead, we went to the house and found Harry sitting with the newly minted Lord and Lady Potter and Aunt Cissy. From the look on Harry's face I was going assume Aunt Cissy was giving wizarding nobility lessons.

Nym grunted when I saw this because I stopped in my tracks. I was trying to get her to back away from the danger zone but the dummy was loudly asking questions and got our Aunt's attention; knew this by the high pitched squeal Aunt Cissy gave off. Echolocation of the wizarding world, I swear to the divines!

"Athena! Nymphadora!" Aunt Cissy called happily.

Nym's rely was instantaneous. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Nym screeched and woke every owl that was napping on the Weasley window sill. They took off in an offended flutter of feathers. Aunt Cissy did not look impressed when Nym hissed at her, "Either Nym or Tonks, you know this woman!"

Aunt Cissy looked to her guests, while Harry was trying everything in his power to not laugh, and said dryly, "as you can see, manners are an ongoing lesson."

"That's alright," Lady Potter offered, a smirk playing at her lips.

Lord Archibald Potter was a broad-shouldered man who looked so much like Harry an older version of Har ry that he could have been the boy's father: only difference were the eyes. He had the fly away black hair that was trimmed shorter than what Harry was wearing. That reminded me, I needed a haircut and so did Harry; I could have put his hair in braids.

His wife had long legs and very solidly built; seemed to dwarf the chair she was sitting in. She could have walked right out of the Amazon camp there in Macedonia. I frowned at her, maybe I had seen her there, all while she was frowning at me but I'm not sure for what reason.

Aunty Cissy the three of us in the doorway into the room and Nym grumbled the whole way into the living room. It was strange to have to go through proper nobility greetings that Aunt Cissy insisted upon. I wanted to let Nym loose on the woman, the now fiery redhead could have been mistaken for a Weasley at the moment.

We had just sat down, Potters on one side of the living room and the Dimitri, Aunt Cissy, Nym and myself on the other, when Lady Potter blurted uncomfortably, "I can't read you!" she shifted in her seat, staring at me and stated bluntly, "That's really never happen before. It's like your mind is protected by the Great Wall of China."

I smiled at her; trying not to chuckle at her confusion. "That would be because, Lady Potter, that's my defense. The Great Wall I mean, though why are you trying to read my mind?" I asked curiously.

"I'm a natural legilimens," Lady Potter explained. "Your occlumency is outstanding."

"I know," I shrugged; no need to be modest when I already knew this, "I had a great teacher in China."

Lady Potter kept staring at me and I kept staring right back, only ended when Lord Potter cleared his throat. Seems the contest was making everyone else uncomfortable. I turned my attention to the man without blinking.

"Hi," the American gave a dorky wavy…yep, he was related to Harry. "Is it true that you and Dimitri here are basically royalty?" Lord Potter asked peculiarly, something about his manner told me he had a reason for asking beyond simple conversation.

After a second's hesitation I nodded. "Yes, basically. Why do you ask, Lord Potter?"

The man grinned brightly and reached over the edge of the chair he was sitting in for a messenger bag on the floor. "Because, it's a tradition to give magical royalty in Great Britain gifts," he started to explain but paused. He was digging in bag, went up to the arm before he exclaimed happily. "At the sanctuary that Sarah and I run, we recently, over the summer, got in an egg-heavy wyvern queen," Lord Potter said as he pulled out an ornate and heavily enchanted box that reminded me of a jack-in-the-box but without the wind up handle. He handed the box to his wife and his arm went back into the bag. "Wyverns, if ya don't know, are ingenious little creatures. No bigger than a house cat when they're full grown and a slew of really awesome qualities. They don't have back legs, they're a mixture of feather and scales."

"They can spew short bursts of fire and can produce venom when they're on the attack," Lady Potter added. "Wyverns can fly superfast, have very strong little bodies and aren't effect by the cold like dragons are."

It weirded me out that both older Potters were staring eagerly at me. "Okay," I frowned at them. "That's…ya know, nice. Why are you telling us this?"

Harry couldn't take the tension. "Because they want to give you wyvern eggs as gifts for being royalty or whatever!" he cried and then let out a long breath. "Sorry," he told his aunt and uncle, "but if you were going to play twenty questions with Athena, it would have taken forever. She's brilliant but most of the time she's a smart-arse. I was saving us all some time."

"You want to give me a dragon?" I asked inquiringly; I was trying not to nod at Harry's statment. "That's nice, really, but a bad idea. I forgot I had a cat once, at least Gorgo makes noise and steals my bacon."

The elder Potters frowned at me. Harry collaborated with, "she's actually serious, Uncle Archie. You know the Shadow Cat that was stalking the genomes when you arrived?" he asked and they nodded. "Well, that's Tiberius the Roman cat and he used to be Athena's before he ran away through the floo to find Ginny."

Lord Potter was undeterred. "Nah, these little puppies will be better than a cat," He promised and held the box in his hands out to me while Lady Potter handed her box to Dimitri. "The boxes are enchanted so to keep the egg in good conditions until the wyvern inside is ready to hatch. They are quick learners and are the best companions."

I frowned at the box in my hands before over at Nym; who just shrugged. Aunt Cissy growled softly determining that I wasn't making my thanks quick enough. "Thank you for the thoughtful and meaningful gift, Lord Potter. You'll have to forgive my niece and her companion."

"Shoot," Lord Potter grinned and waved Aunt Cissy off, "nothing to forgive, Miss Cissy. It's completely understandable. Trust me, Lady Black, Dimitri, your little wyverns are going to be the best!"

"Thank you," I parroted when Aunt Cissy elbowed me rather harshly. "Umm…really, though. For-forgive me but I need to go check on Hermione. We actually came in her looking for her."

"Looking for your girlfriend, Whiskers?" Harry teased.

I frowned at him. "Yes, she's in cahoots with Jubilee to determine mine and Dimitri's wardrobe." Harry winced. "Yea, tell me about it, Harry. If we let it continue we're going to be wearing those baggy pants and dog collars to catch up with the times. I don't want frosted tips, Harry, or lip rings!"

Aunt Cissy rolled her eyes as Harry sniggered at me; the woman actually shoved me off the couch. "Go then, dramatic child of mine sister's," she called and waved as Dimitri followed.

"Wait for me!" Nym called not too far behind us; escaping Aunt Cissy's grasp just barely.

**A**

The foxy bookworm that was the subject of my hunt was with the Hogwarts students gathered in the pavilion where there was a reprieve from the humidity and oncoming storm. Winky had taken the wyvern eggs back to Hogwarts before we'd enter the pavilion. Hermione smiled happily as she pulled me down to sit next to her on little loveseat. I was barley seated when Hermione turned and draped her legs across my lap; a forgotten book in hers.

The gathered group were sitting on a mix of furniture in large circle. I really hoped no one found out that I would have preferred a less crowded setting. Same problem I had at the campgrounds, the crowds made me nervous. Though, I could have cared less about the dirty looks I was getting from the elder set of Holmes.

Hermione brought my attention back to her by tapping my chin and was glaring at me; I gulped trying to figure out which reason of many that I could be in trouble. "Why didn't you tell us you wouldn't be riding the train with us tomorrow?" Hermione demanded heatedly.

At least Dimitri looked apologetic when I looked to him, he was the only one who knew this bit of information. I sighed and looked back to Hermione when she slapped my stomach. "Because, I was going to wait until tonight to make that little announcement. Gran wants me there to do one last dorm check and I have to be present at their staff meeting before you all get there." I frowned deeply. "I really did want to go by train. A bit of normalcy, ya know."

"When were you ever normal?" Damien Holmes sneered from where he was sitting with his twin.

"For five minutes," I answered automatically; sighing in nostalgia. "First year, on the train, then I introduced myself and it was downhill from there."

Ron scowled. "I can still hear that howler in my nightmares." That drew some chuckles, and I'm pretty sure that the lot that heard that howler could probably recite the thing word for word. Molly Weasley sure left an impression when upset.

"So…" Malcom eyed me carefully, "what do you know about the Triwizard Tournament?"

I grinned at my younger cousin; I was really not surprised that he'd know or ask about that. "More than you do, that's for certain. However, I'm not telling you anything. Not because I've sworn an oath or any of that malarkey but more because…well, I don't want to make the effort. You lot are going to have to find out on your own. Besides," I added, ignoring the indignant scowls sent my way, "do the adults know that you know this stuff?"

"No," Malcom shook his head, "and it's going to stay that way. They don't like it when I eavesdrop. Not my fault mom and grandma were complaining about the whole thing loudly where any grey hound could hear them."

"Did you do the transformation on purpose or did you have allergies again?" I asked questioningly, very much aware of the older Holmes' glare at Malcom and Izzy. If I had to say the emotion displayed then I would have called it jealousy.

Malcom blushed, throwing himself back in his seat as he folded his arms across his chest. "Don't judge me, Whiskers. It's a serious problem." He then pouted at me.

"Yea, Whiskers," Fred jumped in with a grin. "Allergies that causes perfectly healthy Second, now Third, Years to suddenly become a galloping grey hound are a serious matter."

George just had to help as well. "Who knows who else these allergies could effect, my feathery friend, why they be magical in origin and a simple sneeze could bring out the hopping horse, the bouncy bunny rabbit or the finicky fennec fox in any Second, now Third, Year." the boy learned forwards with large eyes having just named the forms of the third years present. "You never know!"

"Shut it, you knob-tops!" Ginny growled and throw a chocolate frog at her brothers and then elbowed a snickering Draco who was sitting beside her. "You too, towhead. Just remember that I know a lot of hexes and am not afraid to deploy them once we return to Hogwarts. My revenge might not happen right away but it will be brutal." Draco swallowed his amusement and it was the Third Years' turn to snicker.

Heard Daphne snicker lowly, "that one should have been wearing green."

Samuel scowled. "It's unfair that Grandma let y'all go through with your transformations."

"Oh, boy," Neville frowned, the first to gain a hold of himself. Draco was practically sitting on Ginny with his hand over his mouth to keep her from coming unglued. I had the feeling I knew who her first hexes of the year were saved for. "You thinking that she let them go through with it is really quite sad. Tragic even. McG didn't let them do anything and when she found out, well, our Second Years here didn't step foot outside the castle or inside the library for about four months." He shook his head. "Sort of the harshest punishments besides being expelled and having your wand snapped that Hogwarts has."

"I really don't remember what the Hogwarts Library looks like," Luna pouted as she wiggled into Annie's side.

"You mean you really did that on your own?" Samuel gaped in disbelief.

I just had to point out. "They didn't do it on their own, they researched and asked questions of those already going through the class. Seriously, if Mal hadn't sneezed and turned, well…we'd have never known."

Nym was giggling at that. "You know, I've never seen the ministry quite so a flutter than when we got the requests for animagus registration. Augusta Longbottom was boasting, Neville, boasting about her grandson the caracal. Then I had to look up what that was because I thought it was a cactus and that didn't make sense."

No, that really didn't and we were all looking at the woman as if she'd grown a second head. Nym just shrugged at the attention and started making her face shift to make the group giggle. Honestly, the metamorphmagus enjoyed making the faces more than the group enjoyed seeing them.

**A**

Later that evening, after the furniture had been transfigured from couches to tables and chairs, the whole host of students and family had gathered. Dinner was being overseen by Molly Weasley with Kreacher, Jubilee, Gobhar and some of his family doing the actual cooking. Winky was at Hogwarts in the Camelot dorms making sure that everything was ready; truthfully, I don't think she was ready to be around big crowds and I understood that feeling.

I pulled Jubilee aside and asked her about the uniforms that she and Hermione had been working on; the devious little elf look uncomfortable. She admitted that she'd only pacified Hermione with the looking through of catalogues and such while the elves, both at Hogwarts and at Dorcha Clagh, had working on their original designs. Jubilee promised that both Dimitri's and mine's comfort had been taken into account and that we wouldn't be disappointed.

While that was comforting to me, but I knew that comfort wasn't going to last once my girlfriend found out; time to take Madam Bone's advice. One thing I am good at is planning ahead for gifts and Jubilee was happy to take notes for me on what I'd need. It was only after she popped away that I realized she knew how to write. Huh…

After Jubilee had left, I sat down next to Hermione and couldn't help but watch her. There was this happy glow about her, like her magic was unable to contain itself. Her hair was curlier than I'd remembered and her brown eyes shone with life. I think I could have spent the rest of my life just looking at her and be as content and happy as I was at the moment.

Hermione was older than she appeared to be, I realized. That line of thought started because I was trying to figure out how old I was going to be this coming November. Could I really call myself sixteen when the 5th came? Then I realized that Hermione had spent over a year with her time turner where I'd only had eight months. That, a year, does not make.

The fox-shifter felt me watching her and she raised an eyebrow as she turned away from the chicken dance that Uncle Ted had going in the middle of the pavilion. There was some time before Molly would decide that dinner was done. I think the parents had planned this because they'd banded together for games with prizes and such.

"Why are you staring, Hammy?" Hermione asked, trying not to blush under my stare. .

She hummed happily when I reached out to gently touch her cheek. "I dreamed of you," I confessed softly, "but a dream is a fading thing, and you are real." I told her and I swear the girl swooned. "I think that without you, Hermione, I could have stayed back there and lived. It wouldn't been any different than the first twelve years of my life; traveling to new places and being like a chameleon. But…you weren't there. You, Hermione, you who are so important to me that I would find you in any life."

Hermione ducked her head, to wipe at her watery eyes and I used the motion to brush her hair back over her. When she looked up again, she had a small smile on her lips. "Keep saying things like that, Hammy, and someone going to think that you fancy me," she teased, catching my hand and slipping he fingers through mine.

"Hermione Granger," I leaned close and whispered, "I do fancy you. You are my best friend, the person I love the most and quite frankly, the person who scares me the most."

That took the girl by surprise. She leaned back as both eyebrows flew up as she studied me for something, probably what the hell I meant by that. Slowly he eyes started to narrow and she leaned back in close.

"Explain," was all she said.

I tried not to falter as I did as told. "I want to tell you everything that happened to me. I want to tell you about how I got my scars and so forth. I want to tell you more about the people I met and how they changed my life. I want to tell you…I want…" I let out a shuddering breath. "I want to tell you how I survived but I am frightened that when I do, that you'll see me different because I see myself differently. My aunts see me differently. I know that Gran does."

Hermione let go of my hand to gently hold my face in hers. "You are Athena Cassiopeia Black," she stated firmly, staring intently at me. "You are not just one thing, you are multifaceted. I love you and I get the feeling that I always will and honestly, I'm alright with that." Hermione confessed bluntly and I had to smile at her. "I'm even alright with the fact that you are like, six inches taller than I am. You've no idea how tempted I am to find a magical means of making myself taller just so I don't have to climb you like tree to kiss you."

Her grip tightened when I started laughing. Hermione had been very vocal about our height difference and Harry offered to procure her a step ladder. My laughter died off and I inhaled deeply, contently, and smelled Hermione's vanilla shampoo.

Hermione tapped on the nose. "I don't want you scared of me," she leaned in close so that our foreheads rested against each other. "Tell me when you're ready."

"Thank you," damn, her eyes were pretty; that's why what came next was hard. "Do you think, I-I don't know, that maybe you could lay off the muggle clothes? They really are uncomfortable."

The foxy-shifter sighed and leaned back. "Yea," she nodded, tracing a delicate fingertip over my scar. "I can do that."

I was saying my 'thank you' as dinner arrived. Elfin magic causing the food heavy plates to appear on the table at each spot. Hermione let me go but shifted her chair closer before she dove into her food. I wished that tomorrow would never come, that this night would never end.

**A**

Getting to the train station the next morning was interesting. There were three groups going via portkey about three minutes apart. Trunks had been shrunk down to fit in pockets and animal cages were held to tightly by their owners. Dimitri, Nym and I watched the last group leave with Mr. Weasley and Uncle Ted; we were doing one last sweep of the pavilion that'd been turned into sleeping quarters when dinner was over.

Sheets had been hung up to divide the boys and the girls. Then cots and sleeping bags had been conjured. What I thought was the funniest to seeing how many Gryffindor's wore their button up shirts and the standard bottoms for the uniforms. Seems someone was paying attention last year.

When we were sure that nothing had been left behind, we apperated into Platform 9 ¾. As usual the platform was pure chaos and it was hard to find everyone. Being tall does have its advantages.

I wanted to smack a Weasley when Bill and Molly kept suggesting that this year was going to be awesome; we all know that's a lie. Maybe not them saying they wished they were still in school. That was just creepy to be honest. At least I got to kiss Hermione goodbye before the train left.

"You're going to look out for them, right?" Mrs. Granger asked, standing next to me as we watched the train move on down the tracks. "Andy told me what's going to happen this year and it always seems like you lot are in the midst of all that trouble."

I smirked, she wasn't wrong. "That's because we're friends with Harry Potter and certain wizards be stupid, but yea," I looked to the woman and nodded. "I will look after them. I always have, I just now have a sword to reinforce my meaning instead of fists."

Mrs. Granger shook her head. "That wasn't reassuring, Athena."

**A**

Dimitri and I apperated to Hogsmeade and then walked on up to the castle; the carriages weren't running yet and I didn't feel like going through a floo. Besides, even with the clouds out and starting to build, it was still a nice day; plus Dimitri was teaching me his native language as we walked. We both agreed that instead of going straight away to Gran, well, we wanted into more comfortable clothes that Jubilee had promised me the night before.

Just when I thought that I couldn't love Jubilee any more than I already did. That little elf hadn't lied whatsoever about how she was going to make sure that Dimitri and I were going to be comfortable. Upon arriving to our rooms in the Knight's Dorms, we found our uniforms and they weren't the same.

Mine was a touch of old with a touch of new. I'd been given black pants that were made of a strong material that was also soft and had pockets, cargo ones too but the pants ended at mid-calf. The boots were highly polished black leather that were supple but sturdy with greaves already attacked; shin guards that also protected the knee.

The shirt, the one that'd been laid out, was gold and made from the same stuff as auror shirts. It was tighter than a tunic shirt would have been but not super tight like I used to wear before going back in time. Jubilee promised me those had been put into Hermione's wardrobe; she'd also rescued my favorite hoodie too.

Over the shirt was a back vest and over that was a very soft but crisp looking crème colored jacket with no collar. The jacket had embroidery around the cuffs, the hem, and the collar area and down the lapels where the big copper buttons were. Black thread that depicted dragons and winged horses. On the left shoulder, just under my collar bone, was the Camelot crest.

However, the piéce de résistance was the tartan that I'd been given. The thing was a great tartan measuring out to about eighteen yards. Bright royal blue and crème checkered with lines of gold, red running along the length of the fabric and black crisscrossing across the fabric. I'd been given a shiny belt and someone had polished up my Black family cloak pin that been in my pocket when I'd come out of the knight.

I felt…normal after I'd redressed; though it was weird not to be in Black colors. My dirk slid onto my belt, opposite of a belt satchel, after I'd pleated the tartan into a kilt and my hair done up in braids. It truly irked me that me putting my hair in braids was becoming a natural thing. I was going to have to talk to someone about that, I decided, as I holstered my wand on my left arm and my aspen wand went in to the top of my boot; felt wrong not to carry both.

When I came out of my room, I found that Dimitri was already dressed and waiting in the dorms' rather spacious common room. I do have to say that our dorm was designed strangle. There were seven rooms on the right side of common rooms and then two staircases on the other side; went up above the level of the Knight's rooms. Those stair cases let up to the boys' and girls' dorms but were not like Gryffindor tower.

The landing at the top of the staircases were enchanted so that all four dorms were on the same level. Hogwarts didn't have seven years of students back then. The levels wrapped around the whole dorm as if we were in a square tower; the girls were one story higher than the boys. It was totally creepy and I could see why the dorms were moved so early. Anyone scared of failing enchantments and being squished…so not the dorm for them.

I smiled at Dimitri when he rose from the couch because the young man finally looked at peace; something he hadn't been since we'd left Hogwarts like a week or so ago. He'd been given the same basic clothes as I'd been. The black cargo-non-cargo pants, armored boots and fancy, collarless jacket.

However, that was about all that was similar. His jacket was looser, velvety and was split into two color; Royal blue on the right and crème on the left. It had the same embroidery of beasts but in thread that stood out against the color they were on. Over that was a slim tabard that was similar to the one we wore on our armor but had differences. The size and the fact that there was wide black trim around the edges and the Camelot crest just under his collar bone; the colors matched the arms of the jackets, same colors on the same sides.

Around his waist was a long and striking red leather belt that also held a dagger and pouch. I could tell though that he was missing the same thing as I; the familiar weight of a sword at our side, it was how we held our arms. Kept trying to find the sword to rest a hand upon.

"I feel better," Dimitri declared, happily patting his stomach and running his hands over the material of the tabard. "Your Jubilation has done miracles." I had to chuckle because he never got Jubilee's name right and the little elf had not the heart to correct him.

"Feel good enough to brave the Headmaster's office?" I asked and looked to the clock on the wall. "That two o'clock meeting is an hour away," I pointed out as I folded my arms across my chest. "All teachers, even the new ones, will be there. We'll have to explain to them who we are."

Dimitri shook his head. " _We_ don't not have to elucidate…err…explain," he corrected himself using a simpler word, "anything that we do not want. They can learn when we announce ourselves…tonight."

I smirked and nodded. "Depends of if we have the choice, my friend. Think you can keep me from blowing up on Dumbledore?"

Dimitri nodded and we left the dorms, headed for Gran's office. As we walked, I was going over what I was going to tell the school; speeches are stupid. So I wasn't paying particular attention to whom was already in Gran's office when we did arrive. I was completely surprised by the hugs from two different women; Kaylee's hug, I soaked in the familiar warmth and smell of her perfume.

Helena Wells, though, broke my heart because she was supposed to have been 'dead'. Her consciousness, everything that made her…ya know…her had been stolen away and imprisoned. Now this woman that I looked up to as a motherly figure, queried about magic in multiple letters that later saved my life, was standing right in front of me as if a day hadn't passed since we met two years ago.

I held her at arm length, my eyes blurry with unshed tears. "How?" I asked, unable to push out any more words than that without them being broken.

Helena wiped the tears that had escaped down my cheeks away as she said with a shrug, "a bad man brought me back but Myka and the rest stopped him. I know that you had your own run in with bad men." Her expression darkened then before she was hugging me again, whispering softly so only I could hear her, "I am so very happy to see you again, Athena."

I just tightened my grip on the Englishwoman and buried my face in her shoulder. There were no words at how happy I was to see Helena. On some level, it was the same when I met Bellatrix for the first time and she recognized me. I think that the reason that Helena and I clicked more than smarts and similar interests was because she was a mother without a child and I was a child without a mother figure free of duties.

Helena liked me because she wanted too, because she felt that pull of motherly instincts. All the mother figures I'd ever had were tainted by obligation. They should all be thankful that I wasn't comparing them to Nana.

Kaylee was reminded I was her charge and that she could be replaced for trying to make a deeper connection. Aunt Andy didn't come into the picture until it suited her and Aunt Cissy; I don't care what either of them say. They could have looked for me before I was disowned. Uncle Ted could have sued for custody or visitation rights at least. As for Gran, well, she made herself distant because I reminded her too much of what she'd lost.

Not that I dislike any of them or resented any of the women I considered pseudo-mother figures in anyway. It was just how I perceived Helena. Plus, her ice wall had saved my life twice. She is my friend.

Finally, when I'd calmed down, Helena let me go and I moved back a pace. "How…why are you here?" I asked, accepting the glass of water that Kaylee had ready for me. Dimitri was sitting next to Gran's desk munching on a sandwich; Gran watching with watery eyes while Bridget had smile.

"Sit," Helena commanded, conjuring a chair with a silvery colored wand. I sat because I was sort of pushed into the chair. "I am to be the new lower division Charm's teacher for the year," Helena grinned proudly. "Filius, lovely little man, is taking the upper years, fifth and above as every charm taught below those are one that I know."

"You're going to get to teach me charms this year?" I asked eagerly and Helena nodded.

This was year was starting to look up. I happily accepted the sandwich that Gran floated my way when my stomach rumbled loudly. My mood was so good, in fact, that I didn't mind fielding a slew of questions about the uniform I was wearing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First I just want to say that I love you guys. Thank you for reading, and continuing to read. I'm blown away by how many tell me that they've reread the whole series.**

 **Secondly, this chapter mostly feels like filler to me but that's just me. The upcoming chapters will be more action orientated instead of being dialog heavy; I'm hoping but my writing has a tendency to do its own thing and then speeches happen.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter nor any Easter Egg herein.**

 **P.S. next chapter will have flying horses and maybe baby dragons…oh my!**

Chapter Three: So Begins Another Year…

I was happy when I entered Dumbledore's office; a strange concept as I'd never felt happiness in relation to this particular office before. Thanks to Gran we arrived early and found only Dumbledore and Auror Danvers were present. The redheaded woman scowled at me as she left her chair to come and personally greet me.

"You're looking better," the American stated bluntly. Her arms moving to fold across her chest.

"I feel better too, thank you." I let her ire roll right off me, not bothering me one bit. "Are you here early ahead of your school or are you assigned here for the year?"

Auror Danvers scowled. "For the year and I've been asked to work with you as your liaison. Seems that MACUSA are very aware of who the Knights of Camelot are and what they meant to your government." If I didn't know better I would say the woman was pouting.

"Yes, well, that's weird." I shook my head. "Have you been assigned quarters yet? If not I have like a whole dorm that's empty and I highly doubt that I'm going to have a whole house seek Sanctuary." That would be a very bad day if that happened.

Auror Danvers glanced at Dumbledore, who was chatting with Gran lowly. She looked back to me and nodded. "That would probably be for the best, actually. Your Headmaster wasn't very happy to hear about my posting though it was already agreed upon with your ministry. He wanted to find me a room after the meeting was over."

"Well, now you have a whole dorm room to yourself." I grinned, pleased to have helped. "Winky!" I called softly and the little elf popped into the room. Her little sundress was pressed and her belt highly polished. She looked up with eager eyes and quivering ears. "Winky, this is Auror Danvers. She's going to be staying in the Knight's dorm with us, in one of the girls' dorm rooms. Could you please make one ready for her?"

Winky nodded. "Yes, Winky can, any room?"

I nodded quickly. "Whichever one you pick first, Winky. Thank you."

Winky blushed and quivered happily as she popped away. Auror Danvers gave me a strange look as she followed me to empty chairs near Dimitri, Helena and Kaylee. Interestingly enough, the conversation turned to Quidditch. I told them of my idea to keep Quidditch for the year and let the other schools have their teams.

In the little time that we had, we carved out a plan for the seven teams; keeping the house teams. The games would be limited to a two hour time frame and ties were possible. Ties and wins would receive points and the top four teams would compete for a trophy at the end of the season. We were deciding upon a game type schedule when the other teachers started to trickle in for the meeting.

It was very strange to see more teachers than the ones I'd gotten used to over the past three years. Now all the core classes had double, except potions as Professor Rosenberg as she was starting to show. Gran had explained at Rosenberg would actually split her classes with another teacher for the practical portion of her class so that way there was no chance of fumes harming her fetus. All I could think was that that fetus had been fathered by Snape…totally didn't hear who was going to be helping Rosenberg; fully body shiver induced at the thought.

Auror Danvers, in her auror trench coat with the MACUSA patch on the shoulder, myself and Dimitri got some curious looks from the teaching masses. To be fair, Dimitri and I were rather visible with our colors and manner of dress. I ignored the looks and focused on Dumbledore.

When everyone had gathered, Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, gave a low trill to get their attention. Dumbledore have the phoenix a little pat on the head and smiled that little smile he always had. He looked out over the crowd before his desk.

"Welcome to the last staff meeting before the year begins. I hope that you are all prepared?" he asked but left no room for response. "For those of you who are new to Hogwarts, welcome. I hope that you find working here to be a joyful experience." I tried not to grimace because that was unlikely given the school's past; I think this is what is called pessimism. "When the children arrive for dinner, the older children will be ushered into to the Great Hall. The first years and transfer students will be kept back for the sorting ceremony."

Gran took up then and pointed to the snoozing sorting hat. "Each student will place the hat upon their heads and it will tell them which house they are," she explained as she'd been the Mistress of Ceremonies for…actually, I'm not sure how long she's been doing the sorting. "Then they will go to that house's table."

"The feast will begin," Dumbledore took the conversation back. "Afterwards, Lady Black," there was an almost unperceivable scowl to his lips as he looked at me, "will talk about the Knights of Camelot and then I will announce the Triwizard Tournament. Yes, Professor Mills?" Dumbledore called on the brunette woman three chairs away who had her hand raised.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," the woman cooed in a raspy but very pleasant voice. The she glared at me and I wasn't sure she was so pleasant any more. "What exactly are the Knights of Camelot?"

I sighed when Dumbledore looked to me to explain. "We are the protectors of the Kingdome of Camelot," I explained trying not to sound exasperated. "We also have an agreement with Hogwarts that while we are attending the school we are also its protectors as well. Umm…I would suggest requesting books from the library if you want to know more because otherwise, it's sort of a long conversation otherwise. Suffice to say though, we are here as guards."

"How old are you?" Professor Mills demanded with a deep scowl.

"Well…I'm not sure anymore." I really wasn't sure; Gran grimaced and buried her face in her hands. "I'm either fifteen or I'm sixteen. I blame pesky time travel for the discrepancy."

Gran interjected then before Mills could speak a second time; her hands now in her lap. "Athena and Dimitri are not up for discussion, Professor," she stated pointedly. "Moving on…yes, Athena?" Gran gave me a small frown when I raised my hand.

"Quidditch is back on," I stated firmly. Gran groaned and Dumbledore's expression didn't change. "I think that is unfair to cancel something that only happens a handful times a year for something that's only going to happen thrice. That being said, and I've had help with this, I think that we should invite the other schools to join a tournament against the Hogwarts houses in a sort of winner take all sort of deal…thingy. I have a chart!" I held up the piece of parchment that Kaylee had had one her. "It allows the schools more interaction and gets Illvermorny a chance to do more than be on the sideline. Isn't that the whole point of this little venture?"

I passed the chart up to Gran when she beckoned for it, passing it to Kaylee and then to Gran. The foreign teachers were abuzz at the idea, especially the couple that'd come from the states. Dumbledore glared at me over his half-moon spectacles; he'd have to have a really good excuse for canceling Quidditch. He'd have to have a basilisk sized excuse because Quidditch is only called off because of giant ass nope ropes.

"It would seem that you have given this some thought," Dumbledore stated politely as he refused to take the scribbled chart from Gran. I nodded and the Headmaster looked back over his teachers. "Alright then. We will keep Quidditch."

With that Dumbledore continued on with the meeting and refused to look at me or Dimitri. Thankfully the meeting didn't last much longer after that. It was only last minute items being addressed. When the other teachers started to clear the room, Gran stayed and kept our Quidditch chart.

**A**

"Is Dumbledore always like that?" Alex, as she'd requested us to call her, asked as we headed back towards the Knight's dorm.

I nodded. "Pretty much. Dumbledore and I sort of have a rocky relationship. Sort of started my second year when Lockhart was a teacher here and I called him a fraud."

"But he was a fraud," Alex stated with a frown. "His disgrace even made the papers in the States."

I'd forgotten that. "Yes, but before that he was every middle-aged witch's fantasy and I was still protesting him being a teacher. I was eventually kicked out of his DADA class and I had Dumbledore as a teacher," I explained, both Alex and Dimitri looked shocked. "What's worse is that he tried to kill me at the end of the year. Also, please don't mention that student he slept with; she's like a sister to me and I consider her son my nephew." I frowned then as Angie and her son were another set that I hadn't gotten to spend time with since my return.

Alex shook her head. "But that still doesn't explain why you and the Headmaster are hostile towards each other."

"I think he's reckless and negligent and he thinks that I'm disrespectful and probably the spitting image of my mother…I mean besides looks because I really do look like my mother." I amended with a sigh. I had to add, "My mother is Bellatrix Lestange," when I noticed Alex looking even more confused. "For simplicities' sake, my mother is Bellatrix and my grandmother is Minerva McGonagall. It's complicated beyond that."

"Gottcha," Alex just nodded as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

The rest of the trip the dorms were done in silence. Once again I cringed at the drunk monks guarding the portrait. They kept trying to flirt with Alex before I slapped the painting and told them to open. Alex whistled softly when she enter the Knight's common room.

"Dorms are this way, umm…no boys in the girls dorms." I explained as I started to lead Alex to her rooms.

Alex just smirked. "I'm sure that my wife would object to me having a boy in my dorm so…"

"Oh, well, guess you don't have to worry then." I grinned and led on.

Alex poked my shoulder. "Are boys allowed in the Knight's rooms?"

"I think so because I mean Dimitri is a boy, unless there's something he's failed to mention," I shrugged, pausing at the stairs. "But I'm pretty sure that all boys in Hogwarts are scared of my girlfriend, Hermione, and they'd rather chew of their own testicle than, ya know, try to get into my rooms. Only other boys who'd brave entering my nest are related to me by blood or adoption."

"Nest?" Alex asked frowning.

I actually started laughing. "All that and the only thing you took away was that I'm a bird animagus."

Alex blinked owlishly. "Apparently, so. How are you an animagus at such a young age? Oh, wait…didn't Hogwarts have like, a lot of students, young students become animagi?"

I nodded. "Yes, which was sort of my fault. I transformed after I fell off my broom at some two hundred feet in the air because of dementors. Everyone else followed so…yea."

With that I started up the stairs as I heard Alex cry, "What do you mean DEMENTORS!" she quickly caught up with me and asked, "What were you doing to come in contact with dementors?"

"Playing Quidditch against Hufflepuff." I shrugged and headed for the dorm door that was open.

Poor Alex gave a strangled noise as she followed me into the dorm room. There was only one bed in the room, the others had been removed and part of the space had been filled with a desk. The yellow and black of Hufflepuff had been removed and left the room unadorned.

"I would guess that if you were to ask Winky she could set the colors the way you'd like," I pointed out the drab colored curtains. "She's the official house elf of the Knight's dorm. You can call on her if you need. Also, if ya know, your wife wants to visit she's more than welcome to stay here with you. I've no problem with that." I had no idea what Dumbledore's stance on that would be. "I think it's sucky that you're half a world away for so long."

"Thank you, but she's pretty busy herself. She works with Lena Luthor," Alex admitted taking what looked like little pieces of toy luggage out of her pocket. "Our daughter Ruby is still in muggle schools. She starts at Illvermorny in a few years."

I smiled at the pride that was in Alex's voice. "Well, then, they are both welcome to stay here as my guests. For a weekend or whatever holiday. Just so you know that you have that option. Hopefully this year will go smoothly and pass quickly."

**A**

The rest of the day passed so freaking slowly. I would have gone flying but the weather turned for the worst and started pouring rain. So, I went to my rooms and started exploring. Found the glasses that Hooch gave me, wondered if I should return those. Even found a draw in my wardrobe that was dedicated to my hand wraps; which I changed because the one I wore was starting to look grungy.

That took all of thirty minutes. So I called Jubilee and asked if she'd gotten those supplies that I wanted for Hermione's gift. I may have gone overboard and asked her to retrieve some of my things from Dorcha Clagh. Just to fill in the space. When she felt I put on a random record. Next year, I'm taking the train.

When Alex came to find me, it was time to head to the Great Hall, I'd got so bored that I shifted to my animagus anyways. Things were muted this way and napping was easier. I was hardly dozing when she knocked on my open door. It was sort of comical to see her start at the sight of a big black bird roosting on my footboard.

"Ugh…Athena?" she asked questioning, glancing around the room as if to find my human form. She squealed and ducked slightly when I jumped off the end of the bed, flapping to gain height and then shifted. Lightly landing on the ground. "Nice," she nodded appreciatorily. "I know only a handful who can shift that easily. Is it true that Hogwarts offers classes to the younger years?"

I nodded as I said, "yep," but then frowned, "I thought we'd talked about that?"

Alex shook her head as we headed out the door. "No, we didn't. Just that a bunch of students had become animagi."

"You know if you want, I bet Gran would let you join the class. Bunch of little Illvermorny students should be there." I pointed out as we caught up with Dimitri by the Portrait Door.

I wanted to hang out with Gran to greet everyone at the door; well, she was ticking names off on a list. She told me no and the scowled at the pouring rain drenching the castle grounds. I grimaced and cast a spell over the entrance so that those coming in would be instantly dry and warm. Grams merely smiled and kept a look out for the carriages to start arriving.

**A**

I was nervous as the sea of black robes started to flood the Great Hall. There were happy faces amongst the crowd but that was all I got to notice before Madam Hooch was smacking my shoulder. Hooch was on one side and Gran's empty chair was on the other; Dimitri was sitting down the row with his brother-in-law, Helena and Kaylee.

"Stop twitching, fledgling," Hooch chided and smacked me again. "You're making me nervous and I don't do nervous. I've already experienced my wedding day, used up all my reserves of nervousness then and I'm not going back."

I smirked at the yellowed eye woman and then remembered something. "Oh, look what I found," I dug in my coat for the inner pocket. Hooch grinned when I held up her purple tinted sunglasses. "Thank you for these but I think they should go home." I held them out to her and Hooch happily took them, slipping them on rather quickly.

"Thanks, fledgling." Hooch cooed happily. The purple glasses went well with her still electric blue hair. I grunted when she elbowed me. "Say, little bird, when are we going to go flying again?"

I rubbed at my side. "When it stops raining. You could drown a cat out there!"

"Nah," Hooch shook her head, "I saw your granny milling around by the doors. She's fine."

My laugh took several of the teachers next to us by surprise. Hooch looked mighty proud of herself as we were glared at by Professor Mills. I have the feeling that woman doesn't like people very easily.

"So, if mine memory is correct, shouldn't there be a mini-Hooch attending this year?" I asked, sudden thought brought on by the sight of my cousins ambling in just ahead of Hermione and the others. They seemed shocked to see me at the teacher's table.

Hooch nodded eagerly, the grin on her face could have lit up the whole hall. "Si, si, there is miniature Hooch child attending and she's named after me. Rolanda Hooch, just different middle name begin Matilda. We all call her Mattie."

"Can Hogwarts survive having a second Hooch at the school?" I teased. "Are her fellow first years safe? I mean, Hermione still has nightmares that you're going to bury her in the pumpkin patch down at Hagrid's."

Hooch cackled evilly, and loudly. The Hall went quiet and all attention was drawn the flying instructors. The cackle turned to a glare that was leveled at the whole room. "What are you all staring at?" she demanded, her tone made a shiver go down my spine. "If you all don't staring I'm going to ask Dumbledore to expand my flying lessons to the upper years…mandatory attendance."

There were a few gasps of horror and the host of Hogwarts quickly turned away. I gap in awe of the older woman next to me with blue tipped hair. Hooch noticed, put her hand over my face and turned me away from her.

"No, I will not tell you my secrets for terrorizing the puny ankle bitters," Hooch said sounded exasperated. "Find your own method of madness, fledgling."

I frowned at her as I knocked her hand away. "But I got in trouble when I did that."

"Yes," Hooch nodded as she said, "that's because you were terrorizing the first years. Once again, black bird, that's my job and I don't take to interference." Hooch turned then and glared at the woman next to her. "Make you a deal, queenie," Hooch said and an eyebrow shot on Professor Mills. "You terrorize your students from that dank hovel you lot call a school and leave my first years alone, because they're mine, and I'll leave yours alone. Deal? Otherwise, I'll be for roaming the halls after Halloween."

Mills sneered. "Fine, old woman, but I find out you've broken the deal and you will find out what I'm capable of; I will ruin your precious first year's happiness."

"HA!" I cried softly and leaned forward to look at the woman. "You'll lose because that happiness dies within the first day when they realize there are no maps of the castle and they have to find their classes on their own!"

Mills looked taken aback. "Why wouldn't you give them maps?"

Hooch shrugged. "Builds character and if they're smart they ask for directions. Means mostly the girls get to class on time."

"That's true," I added. "Only people I've ever heard Gran threaten to turn into a pocket watch were boys. Even a broken watch is on time at least twice a day."

"Your Gran is a devilish puddy-cat I'll give her that." Hooch grinned.

Mills chuckled. "I think I'm going to like Hogwarts more than I thought."

"You don't teach DADA…right?" I asked worriedly, Hooch snorted in amusement.

Mills shook her head. "No," she said in that smoky, raspy voice, "I teach History of Magic. Bridget Holmes is teaching DADA with an Alastair Moody."

I winced. "Oh, crap, we get Mad-Eye. Also, poor, poor Aunt Bridget. Should have realized that's what she was teaching as the Charms posts were filled." I looked back to Hooch. "Whatcha think, birdie, should we have the infirmary on standby?"

Hooch grinned and started counting on her fingers. "Mental breakdown, Weasley Twins, Weasley Twins, Blown up, memory wiped; which, honestly, wasn't quite fitting enough for that sack of shite, and then last year was a werewolf," she started nodding; I can only assume those first three were before my time. "Yea, I think Poppy should stay on standby for more than just certain Gryffindors."

"What?" Professor Mills looked confused.

Before we got the chance to explain, Dumbledore stood and called the Hall to silence. The first years had arrived and it was time for them to start the sorting ceremony. Hooch practically wiggled in her seat starting at the door. If she'd had laser vision instead of hawk vision she would have set the door ablaze.

Gran looked like a giant compared the pintsized beings that followed behind her. I couldn't help but smirk at the looks of fear, awe and nausea that were littered amongst the little First Years. At the back of the group were three older boys, two I knew and one who wave a small wave towards the teacher's table; to which Professor Mills had returned.

It was almost at the same time that Hooch elbowed me with a little too much enthusiasm and I swear I heard a rib crack. My pain was ignored as Hooch was too busy pointing out a little girl near the front of the group that slowly marched their way towards the front like a flock of skittish penguins.

"Geez," I growled lowly when Hooch went to get me a second time. I blocked the hit with a little shield between us. "I get it, I get it, birdie. She's yours. Congrats, you got laid at some point in your life; should I sent a fruit basket to your wife?"

Hooch did a double take at me and Professor Mills nearly chocked on her drink. I'm sure there was a retort to be had but it was halted by Gran starting to call the miniature people up to the stool; that hat that should be bird cage lining in her hand. Hooch forgot about me as Gran started to call names.

Little Malcom Baddock went into Slytherin; I was going to have to remind Gryffindor that just because they were lions didn't mean that they actually had to hiss at people. A trembling Eleanor Branstone was ushered off to Hufflepuff to tremendous applause. I wasn't surprised when Denis Creevy joined his brother at the Gryffindor table. Emma Dobbs all but sprinted to Hufflepuff after the hat was off her head.

I tried to scoot away from Hooch when little Rolanda was called. The bird-woman as freaking out, cheering loudly. Her granddaughter turned red when my Gran turned and shushed little Ro's granny. It would have been funny and I'm sure there would have been more than myself laughing if people weren't actually afraid they'd wind up on fertilizer for the Quidditch pitch.

"Rolanda Hooch!" Gran cried again, glaring over her shoulder to dare the older Hooch to utter a sound.

There was as shuddering gasp that echoed throughout the Hall as the calling of the name because it really hadn't been heard the first time over the flying instructor's excitement. If I didn't know better I would say that many of the students were horrified that Madam Hooch had reproduced. Mini-Hooch proudly strutted up the stool, gave her granny a little wave and then plopped herself upon the stool. When Gran put the hat down upon the girl's head, the little girl did not jump or react at all. Seems that mini-Hooch was having a conversation with hat that didn't last very long before the hat cried 'HUFFLEPUFF!' and the table under the badger banner went crazy.

"Sweet!" Hooch gave a little cheer, grinning. "Now she can be herself without all that extra garbage."

I was a little shocked that Hooch would say that but I understood what she meant. As a whole, Hufflepuff was overlooked but I wouldn't try a one of the Hufflepuffs that I knew. With Hooch finally settled down, the rest of the sorting passed quickly.

Then came the transfer students at the back of the group. My cousins and the dark haired boy who'd waved to Professor Mills. The dark haired boy turned out to be named Henry and he became a Ravenclaw. Professor Flitwick gave Professor Mills a little wave in acknowledgment.

That only left the elder Holmes twins. In my heart of hearts I knew what was going to happen next. The feeling that those boys would end up in silver and green was overwhelming. Hated the fact that Gran's beaming smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she called for Damien.

The hat had barely sat on his head before Damien growled and folded his arms across his chest. Gran gulped hard when the hat yelled 'SLYTHERIN!' quite loudly. While the Slytherin table went nuts, Draco looked worriedly up at me because this was trouble in the making.

Next, and last of all, was Samuel. The boy had watch his brother stride with a bounce in his step to the green clad table. He hesitated when Gran called his name. I noticed he was a bit pale before he turned to sit. The hat debated for several moments before crying 'HUFFLEPUFF' and I could swear that Samuel looked down right relieved and failed to notice the glare his twin was sending him.

**A**

The feast was delicious or maybe I was just hungry. I ended up switching spots with Hooch so she and Gran could talk with left me with Professor Mills. To be honest, I rather preferred her when she was being surly to her demanding to know about Camelot; seems the history professor had done some digging since this afternoon to refresh her memory.

That longing to be sitting at the Gryffindor table was almost all consuming that it wasn't funny. Hermione and I kept stealing glances at each other. Between Hermione and Professor Mills was it easy to ignore the curious stares that was getting from near everyone who wasn't upon the council or a teacher.

"Hello and for those of you are just joining us, welcome to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Hall. "Those of you returning, welcome back. As always, the Forbidden Forest is named thusly because it is forbidden!" the man laughed at his own joke. "Our caretaker, Mr. Flich, has asked me to remind all of you that there are certain items that are banned from Hogwarts. Please reference his office door where there is a full list of contraband items; ignorance of such items will not count as an excuse if you are caught with them. Before I get to my announcements, as I'm sure that you're all curious as to why we have such a full teacher's table, I must see to protocol first."

I'm not sure I liked the way that Dumbledore said that word 'protocol'. I know he was talking about me because the man glanced back at me a spilt second after the word had left his mouth. There was a low mummer throughout the hall before Dumbledore turned back to face the sea of students.

"Long has Hogwarts had an agreement with the Knights of Camelot, and if you are unawares as who they are don't worry. I'm sure that History of Magic will cover that subject this year for all years." The man stated; I really hoped that was already the plan instead of a random command. "The last Knight to stay at Hogwarts over two hundred years ago. We know have two, Athena Black and Dimitri Horvath."

The hall erupted into a crescendo of mingled voices. Much like happened in my head but louder and had echoes because of the stone walls. It was only after Dumbledore had broadcasted his voice, wand to his throat, basically screaming over the crowd that order was restored.

Then the man said, "For more, I leave to Lady Black." That fucking asshole.

I schooled my features as I stood, my heavy wooden chair making loud scraping noises as it was pushed backwards. "Right," my voice echoed a little as I was speaking loudly, "for those of you who don't know me, I am Athena Black. Last year, my cousin Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. I'm going to assume you all know this because it was like in every paper the wizdarding world seems to have." There was some chuckles in the crowd and a lot of people were nodding. "In the end it was proven that he was not the murderer that he'd be painted and it was in fact, Peter Pettigrew. That is also well known, if not then I can't help you. However, what is not known is that while apprehending Pettigrew I encountered a Knight Statue of Camelot, Sir Lancelot to be exact. It wouldn't have mattered who I was when I encountered the knight. As long as I was magical the Knight would have taken me." I explained hoping to alleviate those condensing disbelievers. "Through the Trails of the Knight, I survived and was became Sir Lancelot. Now, what that entails for Hogwarts is this, I am now your protector. In accordance with ancient treaties Dimitri and I are bound by oath to protect Hogwarts from not only external threats but internals ones as well."

"WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?" came a cry from the Ravenclaw table, I didn't see who'd spoken.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I called out, "besides the fact that I didn't die. Those of you who know me know that I take my promises seriously. Which means that I have to say this; WE ARE HOGWARTS!" my voices resonated throughout the room. Those with sensitive hearing winced. "We are more than our houses. We are more than the colors we wear. Ambition and cunning are nothing to be ashamed of Slytherin but temper them and you will find success. When the Battle of Heather Valley was waged, it was Slytherins who stood to protect Hogwarts and the village of Hogsmeade."

That caused a low rumble from the students. The Slytherin table looked shocked that I, or anyone else, would praise them as such. I really had to wonder when that stupid feud with Gryffindor had begun.

"Ravenclaw, you are more than smarts and books." I shifted my gaze to those I'd just named. "Just because you are smart and clever does not mean that you have to prove it at every turn. It is alright to be a jack of all trades but a master of none. Knowledge is meant to be shared, my friends, and we all look to you because being smart is your trademark. Be proud of that but be humble too."

Not sure that those in the Claw house were really responsive to that sentiment. I wasn't meaning it as insult. At least Su Li was grinning as I'm sure she thought I had meant it as an insult; I have to wonder if she remembers she is a Claw.

"Hufflepuff," again my gaze shifted. "Loyal and hardworking, those are the traits that are associated with you but you are more than just diligent workers who stick together. I know amongst your ranks are leaders. I know that amongst your ranks are those who are brave and selfless. There are Hufflepuffs that I'd follow to hell and back. Why, because you can inspire loyalty instead of just giving it away." Professor Sprout was blushing, I could see her out of the corner of my eye. "That being said, you also let yourself blend in and be overshadowed. There is no shame in wearing Hufflepuff yellow. Badgers, wear it with pride."

Susan gave me a nod of thanks before I turned to the Gryffindor table. Each member, expect the first years, looked ready for what I was about to say. Even Ronald had his shoulders squared and wasn't scowling death at me.

"Gryffindors, brave and courageous." I smiled at my former house. "Those who can be counted amongst the first to run into a fight. Those who, in one way or another, represent what Godric wanted in those who wore his name but where is courage and bravery tested the most? Is it in being the first on the front lines or is when you stop yourself from engaging? Courage is more than fighting." I knew this and I was still learning. "Bravery is sometimes counted in walking away or not engaging. Courage is sometimes turning the other cheek. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to do nothing. Sometimes, it's merely telling your best friend to shut it because they're being the problem. Gryffindors, it is alright to be small and non-boisterous; to be the one at the back of the crowd. Thinking, studying and starving for good marks in class is not shameful. Gryffindors should be brave enough to know themselves in that you can be smart and brave. You can be courageous and not have to keep retaliating."

The murmurs returned and both Slytherin and Gryffindor were glaring at each other. "Yes, I am talking about the feud between houses because honestly, it's old and stupid because WE ARE HOGWARTS!" I cried for a second time. Strange how adults want us to be individuals but dress us all the same and let us take up the anger and prejudices of our forbearers. "WE ARE MORE THAN OUR HOUSES! WE DEFINE WHO WE ARE!" I had to pause because that hurt to cry out so loudly. I took a moment, pretending it was a dramatic pause. "Do I make myself clear?" I asked. There were just mummers, well that just wouldn't do whatsoever. "WHO ARE WE?"

"HOGWARTS!" I grinned, the cry was lead from Gryffindor but I could see the other tables give that shot too.

I leveled the Hall with a steely glare. One I hoped was reminiscent of Gran's. "WHO ARE WE?"

This time the whole Hall echoed with one word. "HOGWARTS!"

"Good," I nodded, "because I expect better of you lot. You are magicals, not some monkey in the jungles of Africa who hasn't figured how to wipe his own ass with a tree leaf." At least I made Hooch snigger. "I know I have my own reputation with fighting but if I can starve to improve myself and be better than so can every single one of you. We are not our parents, we are not the ones who came before. We are Hogwarts and we can be better because if we don't then we've already failed." I cleared my throat then and started to sit down when Hooch nudged me and mouthed 'sanctuary'. Right, I'd forgotten that with the pure BS that'd just poured out of my mouth. "Right," I was trying my hardest not to blush. "One last thing that the Knights offer Hogwarts is something called 'Sanctuary'. We've an old house dorm that is open to any student who doesn't not fit within their own house. The weary and beleaguered who need a port in the storm even if it's for a night. This service is determined on a case to case basis and does not reflect upon the person wanting sanctuary. If you feel you need this you can talk to Dimitri or myself or your Head of House. You will still be in your house, go to class with your house-mates, you just won't be in their dorms."

With that I sat down. I have no idea where the hell that speech just came from. Maybe next time I should make note cards. Wonder if Madam Bones knows someone who can write speeches? I was trying to ignore the heaviness that'd been left by what I said; now would be the time for lightning to flash across that magical roof the Great Hall lays claim too.

However, that was not to be as Dumbledore cleared his throat and the doors to the Great Hall crashed open admitting a soggy and grumpy looking Mad-Eye Moody. There were some startled cries but nary was a word spoken as the peg-legged man clunked his way down the center of the room. His enchanted eye whirling and swirling to take in everyone. I couldn't watch the eye move because that was wrong on so many levels and…also… revolting and nauseating.

**A**

The rest of the Welcoming Feast took forever! I really wish Gran would have let Dumbledore finish his joke that he was telling the Weasley twins. To me, at least, I got the feeling they didn't know about the age limit for the Triwizard Tournament or they were hoping it was poor hearing on Malcom's part.

Could have done without Dumbledore taking credit for keeping Quidditch and creating a tournament with the other three schools that were coming. Aunt Bridget looked downright murderous when Dumbledore did that and I thought for a second that Aunt Bridget was going to be the shortest lived DADA. I would have bet galleons that she was going to take the man out right then and there.

Then came the introduction of teachers and then everyone was sent off; expect four who left their tables and made a beeline for me. Draco and Luna I expected but not Izzy or Su Li; though Su Li did make sense. I think that girl lived to take the piss out of her housemates. So it was either because of that or the Ravenclaw Quidditch team found out who was behind their baldness last year.

Gran frowned as her Ravenclaw granddaughter boldly asked for sanctuary; Flitwick looked confused. I was slow to stand, recalling everything that I'd been told last year about the girls' trouble. When I looked towards the Ravenclaw house I noticed that Cho Chang was glaring at my friends and cousin. Her look wasn't much different from the one coming from Crabbe and Goyle aimed at Draco.

"I grant you, Isobel Holmes, Su Li, Luna Lovegood and Draco Black, sanctuary," I told the three Ravenclaws and Draco; I wasn't willing to find out what would happen to them if they returned to their dorms. There was a shudder throughout the castle, the stones creaked as the clouds were chased out of the ceiling. "You will follow Dimitri and me to the Knight's dorms and your things will be retrieved for you," I said before looking to Gran. "Perhaps tomorrow morning before breakfast we can have a meeting with you, me, Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape as to why they sought the Knight's dorm?"

Gran nodded and then gave a little nod of her chin. Hermione was waiting by the Hall doors and was watching me intently. As Gran moved to leave the table, she promised that we'd talk about Hermione as well.

"Feel important yet?" Hooch asked as we made our way around the table following Gran.

I sputtered at the woman, "n-no!" I didn't feel important whatsoever. "I feel weird and out of place and sort of like that time that Fraser used me for bait when he was after a manticore." Hooch face drew dark as I admitted that. "I was small and squishy and bite-sized according to him. All I can remember is the mantra of 'don't pee your pants, don't throw up, don't pee your pants, don't throw up' running through my head."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I would like to thank celesse201 for helping me with this chapter. Sometimes the hardest thing to do as an author is naming something. Thank you : )**

 **I don't own Harry Potter**

Chapter Four: CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Hermione wrapped her arms around me as I reached the doors to the Great Hall. I smiled as I hugged the girl close, she smelled of parchment and vanilla shampoo. The anxiousness bleed out of me as Hermione's grip around me tightened, her hands clutching tightly to my jacket.

"I think this ensemble is better than what I'd picked out," Hermione admitted when she pulled back and held me at arm's length. "Is this how you were dressed in the past?" she asked curiously tugging at my great tartan.

I nodded and grinned dopily. "Yes, ma'am, expect, ya know, not these colors. More earthy tones with the Black family tartan instead of the Camelot one."

Someone behind us cleared their throat. It was Alex, who was smiling. "I hate to break up a lovely moment, really but shouldn't we get back to the dorms," she asked pointing to Draco, Su Li, Luna and Izzy.

I frowned because I didn't want to leave Hermione. "I'm sorry," I whispered to Hermione so that just she could hear me. "Do you want me to walk you to the Gryffindor Tower?"

For a second I thought Hermione was going to agree to the proposition but she shook her head instead. "No, but thanks, Hammy. I think you should take care of your duties first. But," she tapped my chin and smiled, "be here for breakfast and you'll be forgiven."

"Deal, foxy fox." I agreed quickly and then tried to keep myself stoic as I watched Hermione hurry to catch up with the vanishing Gryffindors.

"She your girlfriend?" Alex asked, a slight smirk to her lips.

I frowned at the woman. "I'd certain hope so, otherwise, I'm pretty sure that would have been awkward and I'd have some explaining to do; don't you think?"

Su Li made no attempt to hide her mirth at my words. Alex rolled her eyes as Luna jumped up on my back. For a second I was scared that my scars were going to protest but I relaxed when there was nothing more than a twinge.

**A**

The next morning dawned pretty quickly. For being a Tuesday it felt more like a Monday, I disliked the feeling immensely. Also disliked holding still while Jubilee stood behind me on the bed so she could rub that mint lotion onto my back; she was convinced that if the lotion helped my hand than it would help my other scars. The little elf refused to hear differently and my protests had died a quick death.

With Dimitri in tow, we headed for Dumbledore's office; Gran had sent a note before bed that said to meet there. That made me feel antsy because I didn't like the idea of Dumbledore being involved or that his involvement made sense. They were his students after all.

We arrived about the same time as Professor Flitwick and I tried not to grimace when I thought of how much having three of his students seek sanctuary must have bothered him. Flitwick was a genuinely nice person and hated bullies. To hear that's what drove them away, especially after putting his house under lockdown last year; well, let's just say that I won't want to be a Ravenclaw after this meeting was over.

Gran, Dumbledore and Professor Snape were waiting for us; at a small table away from Dumbledore's desk. A floral teapot with steaming coming out the spout sat that the center with a little platter that looked like it was stacked high with blueberry scones. I prayed to the divines that this meeting didn't make us miss breakfast because I wasn't doing to ditch Hermione.

"Good morning, everyone," Dumbledore greeted, his smile not reaching his eyes. He waited until us new arrivals were seated. "I have to say that I was surprised, Lady Black, that you had Seekers of Sanctuary so quickly."

Snape scoffed and shook his head at the man. "You can't be serious, Albus. We both know that Mr. Black was going to take sanctuary the moment we heard about the offer before school started. His father, whom can hold a grudge and is not above harming his son to make a point," Snape growled unkindly, "has connections still within my house. The children of Death Eaters would follow his word to the letter to gain credence with the Lord Malfoy." Snape sneered the name. "Draco would have been safe returning to the Slytherin dorm."

"Which is why Draco sought Sanctuary," I said in agreement. "I know that Crabbe and Goyle are both receiving coin, or where this past year, to watch over and report back to Malfoy. Draco had confided several times that he worried what would happen to him while at school if he were to garner his father's ire."

Dumbledore glowered, his eyes flashing with irritation. "Why did Draco not confide this to myself or Professor Snape?"

I tried not to chuckle at the man. Snape just shook his head and the rest just watched. "Why would he?" I asked. "Why should Draco trust you, Professor Dumbledore?" I wanted to know. "Historically speaking, since I've come to Hogwarts, the favor rests with Gryffindor. The Slytherin house are painted as snakes and are usually the ones punished if there is fighting in the halls. Should I reference my first year End of Year feast where Slytherin lost the House Cup because you rewarded rule breaking?" that earned me a nasty glare. "Why should Draco or any Slytherin feel safe coming forth when they don't trust you? If I am to understand Draco's description of Slytherin politics than most disagreements are handled in-house."

"Still, Draco did not have to leave his dorm!" Dumbledore stated irately.

Dimitri chuckled. "It would seem that he did…as that's what he did do," he pointed out with a smirk. "He did not feel safe under your watch. Perhaps…you should…ruminate? No, that's is not quite the word…reflect…contemplate…yes, contemplate as to why this boy did not feel safe with you." I think Dimitri was enjoying this. "This Draco Black, he seems like good boy with good head. Knights say we keep him safe and he came to us; under accords we don't have to force him back to you. He will stay with us."

Dumbledore glowered and Fawkes squeaked shrilly; possibly picking up his master's distressed mood. "Fine, moving on. Why did Isobel, Su Li and Luna act as Seekers of Sanctuary?"

"Bullies," I said simply. "I'm sorry, Professor Flitwick, I really am," I told the man next to me. "I know how hard you worked last year to quell such behavior but the answer is bullies. I'm not sure how exactly but I know that they are organized and use each other as covers."

Flitwick growled dangerously, "I was afraid of that." his tone reinforced my earlier thought of not being a Ravenclaw. His little fists were clenched. "Have they named names, Miss Black?"

I shook my head. "No, Professor. You can talk to them and try to get names but I would advise not asking Su Li. She...indicated that, while she likes Ravenclaw, if the tower was to be set ablaze she wouldn't shed a tear." I saw the little man smirk as I repeated the words that Su Li had told Alex last night. "Honestly, I think that Su Li is…best left with the Knights. I'm not sure she plays well with others, sir. Before the start of last year, I did promise Su Li's grandmother…great-grandmother? I don't remember now, but I did promise to look out for her."

Flitwick actually smiled and pat my hand. "Thank you, Miss Black, for caring for Miss Li. As much as it pains me, I do agree with your assessment. Though, if it's alright with you, I would live to visit your dorm from time to time to check on my Claws."

"Of course," I nodded quickly and smiled at him. "We like visitors."

Dumbledore apparently didn't like the easiness of Flitwick's acceptance of the situation. "Filius, I'd rather the students be back in their proper houses as soon as possible."

Gran chuckled then. "Albus, I think that might take a while and having Izzy and Luna with the Knight's might be better. I know that Miss Lovegood routinely has her things stolen and hidden around the castle."

Flitwick nodded sadly. "This is true, I have tried to catch the culprits but Miss Lovegood doesn't seemed bothered. She merely says something about her creatures and then goes on about her business." The man looked ashamed at this admission. "I'd rather my Claws be safe as I try to fix what's happening in my house. Maybe with Su Li and Luna gone, I can truly affect change."

"And what of Isobel?" Dumbledore demanded. "It sounds like she left to be with her friends."

I shrugged. "She's guilty by association, Professor."

"Fine," Dumbledore stated plaintively. "They may remain," not that he had any say in the matter, "but I want them back where they belong in short order."

Dimitri grinned. "They will remain for as long as it takes. Even if Knight's are not at Hogwarts, the dorms stay open. Is this meeting over?" he asked and rubbed at his stomach. "Breakfast should be starting soon."

**A**

Dimitri and I were sitting at the Gryffindor table when the trickle of sleepy students started. We'd had our heads together discussing the small herd of Pegai (singular Pegasus) that were to arrive within the week. That dwarf that Dimitri had dealt with had finally gotten around to getting them sent our way. I still thought it was weird that we needed flying horses in a society that had brooms and included animagi that were flyers; however, it was better to go with the flow than argue with Lady down in the lake.

Hermione, curiously enough, was carrying my bag as well as her own when she arrived with the usual Gryffindor suspects. She greeted me with a grin and a kiss before handing the bag over; explained that Jubilee had asked her to give it to me as forgotten the thing this morning. Hermione was more than happy to acquiesce to Jubilee's request.

"Where are Draco and the Claws?" Harry asked as he sat down next to Ron. "I thought they'd be, ya know, with you."

"Sorry, Harry," I apologized, "but Dimitri and I had an early meeting and left, I'm sure, before everyone else was awake. Though, if I know Jubilee, they should be arriving soon."

Hermione poked my side and got my attention. "So, are you still having class with us?" she asked worriedly.

I nodded quickly. "Yep, same classes but I might not always be there. Knight stuff."

"Oh," Hermione frowned as if she wasn't sure she liked that answer.

It wasn't long before Draco and the Claws arrived with Alex. I about did a double take when I noticed that their ties, the students not Alex, had changed to Camelot colors. I frowned at that because I was sure that the Seekers of Sanctuary wouldn't be marked in any way. They were supposed to stay blended in or whatever; methinks an elf is afoot.

Gran came around not much later, frowning at the checkered ties the same as I had, as she handed out times tables; Snape and Flitwick had given her Draco and the Claws' times tables as well. I could only shrug when the Transfiguration professor looked to me for answer. Gran just contained a growl and moved on with her task.

**A**

Herbology was boring. Sprout was just rehashing what we'd learned at the tail end of the previous year. Just like she'd done the year before; freaking first day blues. This almost wasn't worth the hike from the castle to the greenhouses.

It was as we were coming back in that I caught sight of a familiar looking face that looked frightened. Mini-Hooch was standing in the entrance hall with her fellow First Years from Hufflepuff looking questioningly at their times tables. With Hermione still attached to my hand, I headed over to see if I could help.

"Mini-Hooch," I smiled at the girl who frowned up at me. "You look lost. Now, I could catch grief with your granny if I were to let your being lost persist," I squatted down so that I wasn't towering over the girl, Hermione's hand went to my shoulder. "How may I be of service, Mini-Hooch?"

"Grammy is right, you are silly," Mattie Hooch giggled. "She also said that you were helpful. We don't know where Charms are."

I looked to my watch and decided. "I can show you," I promised as I stood back up and whispered to Hermione. "Can you let Moody know that I'll be late?"

"Of course," Hermione nodded and kissed me; the gaggle of younger year made gagging noises at the Public Display of Affection. "Oh, hush, you lot," Hermione chided but with a smile; smacking me because I was chuckling.

With my little following of Hufflepuff First Years, I headed off towards Helena's classroom. Mini-Hooch grinned as she grabbed my hand and started asking me questions about Camelot; one of her friends got his hand slapped when he tried to touch my dirk. I almost felt sorry for Helena when we reached her classroom but better her with this hyperactive group than I.

Of course the bell rang just seconds after I'd detached the last ankle-bitter and it was received by a giddy Helena. The little First Years hadn't wanted me to leave once I'd gotten them to their destination and were determined to keep me there. Thus why Helena was so entertained.

**A**

When I arrived at the DADA classroom…well, I sort of reacted without thought when I heard some cry ' _Crucio!_ ' and there was a high pitched scream. All rational thinking went out the door when I heard that; never mind the voice casting the spell sounded like Professor Moody. I burst through the door with my wand drawn and ready for a fight.

There were screams as I vanished chairs and pushed the desks to the side, barely seconds later I'd pushed the class back against the wall and on the floor were burned protective runes. I used the momentum of coming through the door to turn on the person casting the unforgiveable curse and set upon them. The man who looked like Mad-Eye looked surprised; which was weird.

My first spell hit him square in the chest with a _lang-lock_ but he'd gotten his senses back with the hit. He put up a shield and stopped my _expelliarms_ ; I really need to reverse how I cast those spells because freaking **non-verbal casting!** I blocked a series of stunning spells that had been sent my way even with the tongue tying curse in place.

I rolled, diving behind a desk and cast an _aquamenti_ ; a powerful torrent of water pushing the peg-legged man backwards. The water ended when a desk came at my head; with a flick of my wand the desk turned to saw dust which then became solid again as angry birds that went after the man struggling to get up a shield.

He dispelled the birds but was lost in a _fumos_ ; the smokescreen clouding his vision while my overpowered knockback jinxes came in rapid fire to smash against his shield. Spilt second after I'd cast a fourth knockback jinx and I cast another _aquamenti_ and about drown the man. A little flick and the man's clothes froze solid.

" _Expelliarms!_ " came a cry that had a Scottish bur to it and my wand was ripped out of my hand.

I stood, Excalibur forming in my hand when I found myself facing down a pale-faced Gran. Dimitri just behind her with Daphne Greengrass. My fist tightening on Excalibur until my fingers ached. I couldn't figure out why Gran was here and caused me too look over at my ice statue that I now realized was, in fact, Professor Moody.

There was a silver of regret and embarrassment that struck at the edge of the state that I was in; however, I wasn't going to allow that to affect me. Moody had no business casting an unforgivable curse. The voices in my head wanted me to take his head for using such near students; the rage burned across my shoulders.

"Athena," Gran's voice was soft and close. "Breathe, lass. Alastor is not threat so ya need to calm down."

Her words broke me back when I realized I was about to give in to the voices' demands. Excalibur vanished just in time for Dumbledore to arrive with Professor Flitwick and Snape. I can only imagine what they thought because the classroom was demolished. First thing the Headmaster did was to thaw out his DADA professor.

I forced myself to relax and with a flick of my wrist, the runes keeping my classmates safe vanished. None of them moved; Neville and Harry were keeping Hermione in place. Their gaze was firmly locked on Dumbledore as the man looked visibly angry.

"What happened, lass," Gran asked her fingers pulling my chin so that my gaze returned to her.

I took a long breath before answering. "I was late class as I was helping out lost First Years, when I arrived I heard someone casting a Cruciatus Curse. I heard pain and stepped into to protect. Why was Professor Moody casting an unforgiveable?"

Gran frowned and looked to the soggy professor and his rescuer. Then she looked to the shaken class and dismissed them quickly; she left no room for argument. As Hermione slipped by she whispered that she'd be in the library.

"Don't get mad at the girl, Albus." Moody smirked as he tapped his long jacket and it started to steam. Dumbledore was glaring at me. "I would have done the same in her situation. It was a good duel; did so with non-lethal force."

Dumbledore composed himself. "That does not negate the fact that Lady Black attacked my professor."

Moody just laughed and slapped Dumbledore on the shoulder. "That was almost as educational as what I was teaching! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" the man screamed and then shrugged. "A person should always be aware even in a classroom, Albus."

"A student attacked my professor!" Dumbledore hissed at Moody.

Dimitri smirked. "Unless there was another incident today…then no a student did not attack your professor. If I am not mistaken…the unforgiveable curses are highly illegal."

Dumbledore didn't like the implications in Dimitri's voice. "I can had you removed from this castle," the wizard swore.

"No, you cannot." Dimitri shrugged. "It would take the Board of Governs to end the accords with the Knights and have us removed from castle." Then he blew a raspberry at the Headmaster.

While that may have been funny on some level, it didn't help my growing sense of panic. I gulped hard. Not able to stay in the room, I left it rather quickly. I ignored Dumbledore calling after me to stop; that he wasn't finished. My hand throbbed as the palm tingled unpleasantly and breathing was difficult. I felt like I was on the verge of passing out when I finally stopped walking; used my secondary wand to send a patronus to Hermione to find me.

**A**

When Hermione found me I was sitting in the windowsill of the abandoned classroom that was used last year to practice patronus casting. I wasn't sure what I should be feeling at the moment. My mind was trapped between two realms.

A part of me was just waiting for a string of redcoats to start marching up the lane to the castle, waiting to hear the cannons roar and the muskets' report. I was scared that the screaming would start, the gargle of death that happened at the end just before the silence. My nose hurt in anticipation of the hazy smoke that was burnt power.

The other part of me realized that I was in Hogwarts and it was 1994. If I were to pop to any city in the UK I would find fast food restaurants, cinemas playing Disney and punk music blaring out of boom boxes. My fight with the lobster backs was long over and at the moment I was safe.

I was so busy trying to hold onto the present that I never heard Hermione approach until she called out to me; stay a safe distance in case I reacted violently. The worry and fear on Hermione's face made me whimper because I couldn't stop the thought that the love of my life was scared of me. Tears that I'd been holding back fell without my consent.

Hermione cooed softly and rushed over. The fully engulfing hug was mutual and I sobbed on her shoulder; from my lips came the mantra of repeated 'I'm sorry'. My magic sought out Hermione's and they intertwined as they both sought the comfort the other provided.

**H**

If there was one thing that the aftermath of Athena's confrontation with Moody proved was that Athena was not alright. Hermione had held the sobbing girl until the end of DADA and well into lunch. It was only Jubilee's popping in with a calming draught that got Athena back into sorts. Enough so that the pair could leave the abandoned classroom.

Hermione watched Athena closely and wondered if this was what her grandfather had referred to as 'shell shock' and 'battle fatigue'. How Athena could be so…focused in a fight but fall apart afterwards. Hermione was still trying to wrap her mind around what had happened in class.

She'd never read, anywhere that her studies had taken her, about being able to cast runes the why that Athena had; without her wand or direct contact with the stone. Hermione still trying to come to terms with the fact that the only spell that'd been spoken aloud had been McGonagall's to disarm Athena. She knew that her girlfriend had always been talented with magic but hadn't been to the point of non-verbal magic before the start of the past summer.

For the rest of the week, everyone had been on edge. The story of the DADA duel had spread like wildfire and Hermione had already heard ten different versions; each one more preposterous than the next. Athena's favorite was that she'd cursed Moody so badly that he now farted rainbows randomly.

The tension ended when that first weekend had come and with it had arrived a small herd of Pegasus. They were housed in the Hogwarts stables that Hermione hadn't realized the school boasted. The flying horses had come in a verity of colors and breeds but all sported the tell-tale wings.

There'd been a pure black horse that'd looked like a Friesian; a mare that had connected with Athena. The girl had named the horse, Argo, and muttered that the name could still work even if the horse wasn't a palomino. Hermione had not a clue as to what Athena had meant.

The other horses ranged from roans, to duns and the standard pure white. Almost immediately Athena had put the horses off limits to everyone but the Knights and Hagrid and put up wards so that only those approved could enter their area of the stables or their paddock. Hermione wasn't faulting that decision given the way that Harry and Ron were eyeing the horses and looking up at the sky seconds later.

Then had come Hermione second fright of the year and it was entirely her own fault. It was because she loved Athena full heartedly and that made her do foolish things like agree to take a ride on Argo with Athena. Of course there'd been the promises of enchanted saddles that person couldn't fall out of no matter how crazy the pony got.

Athena had had Jubilee bring to them Athena's bomber jacket with the aviator's cap with goggles. The taller girl had winked at Hermione as she'd duplicated the items and let Hermione wear the originals. If Athena hadn't been so cute in her cap, Hermione would have walked away or at least backed up ten paces. Would have gone over to where Dimitri was entertaining a group of younger years with Hagrid.

Hermione had squealed a little when Athena had demonstrated her strength. Athena had picked the bookworm up and put her on the winged horse; Hermione couldn't scurry away as her butt was firmly adhered to the saddle. Also, Argo's wings were in the way for Hermione to try and bail over the side.

Then came the worst thing that Athena could have possible said after getting her own self on to the large animals. "This is going to be interesting, Myne. I've never ridden a flying horse before." Hermione's eyes had gone wide and she looked back over her should as Athena had chuckled. "Think this is like flying as a hawk?"

"ATHENA CASSIOPEIA…!" Hermione cry had been cut off when Athena's arm had wrapped around her waist and Athena had touched her heels to the horse's side; the horse bolted and wings started flapping.

Then they were in the air when Argo had leapt over the railing of the paddock. Hermione had slammed her eyes shut as they started to gain altitude; she was a fox and foxes were meant to be on the ground! Cruse gorgeous girls with dreamy eyes and dopy grins!

"Myne," Athena had said softly, Hermione shuddered at the feeling of Athena's lips brushing her ear. "Look," the girl had cooed, "we've leveled off and you've got to see this. I promise that you're safe, you know I'd never let anything bad happen."

Hermione gulped when Athena's arm had tightened around her. Instead of opening her eyes, Hermione turned her head and blindly kissed her girl. Some would call it romantic, some would call it foolish and Hermione would call it confidence building. Athena was panting slightly when Hermione broke the kiss; gently licking at Athena's lower lip before turning and opening her eyes.

The bookworm was surprised at how different everything looked from way up above the castle that Athena had them circling. Hermione relaxed back into her girl and grinned. She could understand now why some many people in her life loved flying; didn't mean she was going to jump on a broom any time soon and zoom towards the heavens. When it was over, Argo had lazily drifted back down to the ground.

**H**

School had become routine after that weekend. Moody was still strange and jumped whenever the door near him was opened suddenly; to which he'd scream something about CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Hermione made sure that Athena showed to every single one of her classes; never had classes with Dimitri as he was a year ahead of them.

As the third week of September started, Hermione started to get excited. Though she had the same problem as Athena with keeping track of her age, officially, Hermione was turning fifteen. She was looking forward the gifts; more so to see what people gave rather than simply getting said gifts. Of course she'd be getting books but what books was the question.

She was very curious to see what Athena was getting her, especially after Athena had left Hogwarts for a full day on Argo. Officially it was a trip to determine if Athena approved of the horses flight stamina; according to Athena they were 'alright'. They'd flown to Dorcha Clagh and back. Athena had been acting off since.

Friday, 19th of September, Jubilee woke Hermione. Gave the girl a hug and a muffin before going to do morning chores. There were other students that needed rousing after all and Jubilee was a busy elf.

Before Hermione could make it to the Great Hall, Athena had snagged her from the group with promises of catching up in a bit. Hermione had thought that Athena had wanted to give Hermione her gift early. She was wrong but wasn't upset about that as Athena had pulled her into an alcove and snogged her senseless. They'd gotten to the Great Hall with twenty minutes left before classes; all the packages that had arrived for her had been stuffed in the expandable satchel that she'd never given back to Athena.

That happy buzz that'd come from Athena had lasted pretty much all morning for the bookworm. Lunch had been fun as the fruits were cut into animal shapes that looked a lot like a fox. Hermione had received well-wishes from just about everyone and at dinner, fireworks had gone off near the middle of the meal in Gryffindor colors.

They'd scared just about everyone; most visible were Athena, Dimitri, Auror Danvers and Professor Moody. While those four had been trying to recover themselves, the rest of the hall had ooh'ed and aww'ed over the display that most likely had been caused by the Weasley twins.

The party in the Gryffindor Tower had been larger than previous years as her friends from the other houses dropped by for butterbeers and watching wrapping paper being destroyed. Hermione was giddy with her haul; books, records, quills and ink and such. Only gift that Hermione didn't get to open came from the person she wanted one from the most; Athena.

All the girl had said was that she wanted to give her present to Hermione in private. It was a personal gift and those who were teasing could bugger off; Athena had been half playful and half serious in her chastisement of the crowd. Which was why around midnight when everyone was asleep, Hermione stole Harry's invisibility cloak and used her map that'd yet to be named and snuck off to the Knight's Dorms.

There'd been a small argument with one of the drunken monks; it irked Hermione that the argument had been about alternative names for roses rather than about the lateness of the hour nor that she was part of the dorm she was trying to enter. That was something that needed fixing but not important at the moment as Hermione continued on to Athena's room.

After carefully storing the cloak in Athena's school trunk so that it wasn't lost, Hermione snuck into bed with her girlfriend who was tossing restlessly in her sleep. It pleased Hermione to no end that Athena had reached out for her when she'd felt the bed dip; snuggling into the bookworm and muttering her name in her sleep. For the first time in a long time, Hermione got a good night's sleep and welcomed Athena's kola-like tendencies.

**H**

Hermione woke to the feeling of someone watching her. Blindly she reached up and pushed the offending person's face away; her thumb brushing over a familiar scar and jaw. She heard Athena chuckle in amusement as Hermione's hand was brushed away.

"Come now, little dove," Athena called softly and Hermione groaned at the noise, as lovely as it was to hear. "Ya need to wake up before Jubilee comes back, little dove, she promised a pitcher of water. Cold to be exact, from the lake."

Hermione pried an eye open and looked up at her girlfriend. "You're elf is evil."

Athena snorted. "I've been saying that since Jubilee left Aunt Cissy. You all didn't believe me and kept telling me that she was just overly enthusiastic about her care."

"Give me a good reason to get up." Hermione groused. A threat from Jubilee was a good reason but hadn't quite put the fear in the bookworm to keep her eyes open.

Hermione felt Athena sit up. "Well," Athena said, "I could give you your present now."

That got Hermione's attention and she rose from the bed in much a similar fashion as Hollywood portrayed Dracula. Athena grinned and Hermione noticed she was eyeing the messy mop that was Hermione's bedhead. The owner of the bedhead growled and shoved against her girl's shoulder.

"Piss off," Hermione grumbled and Athena just raised an eyebrow. Wiggling herself around, Hermione got herself in a more comfortable position. "You promised a gift?"

Athena nodded and merely held out her hand towards the end of her bed and wiggled her fingers. The box that rose up from the dresser on the far side of the room got Hermione's attention; it was about the same size as a breadbox but wider. Athena never touched the box as it set itself down in front of Hermione.

Though, when Hermione went to open the box, Athena stopped her. "Just…just a second, Hermione. I need to tell about what's inside before you open the box." Hermione didn't protest but felt confused at the tension that appeared on her girlfriend's features. "I wanted to re-err…to pass along the contents to you because they should be with someone who can truly appreciate them. Also, I wanted to tell you about someone that I met while I was in 1745."

Hermione pulled her hands back into her lap. "Okay."

Athena took a deep breath and held it; Hermione silently counted and was impressed when Athena let the breath out at 45. The dark haired girl started nodding and Hermione recognized the face she was making as one where she was organizing her thoughts. Best to let her but not let her go too long or Athena would get lost in her thoughts; Hermione tapped on her knee to bring her back.

"Right." Athena stated, her green eyes popping open. Merlin, did Hermione love their shade of green. "So, the contents herein belonged to Branwen Copper. She was a Welsh Paladin whom I met not to long after I arrived back then." Athena gave a small smile that Hermione puzzled over. "She reminded me of you and Snape, a very bad mixture if truth be told, in the way she taught me potions when Rigel handed me over to the Paladins for lessons. She was brilliant but scary. Branwen became my friend and…and…and…" Athena paused and let out a shuddering breath that worried Hermione. "She died. I…umm…we were captured by redcoats and taken before a Captain named Rhett."

Anger flashed in Athena's eyes now. Immense anger that caused a shift in Athena's posture and made her clench her fists. Hermione reached out and took one of those fists in her hands; she told Athena to take her time.

"He was demanding to know where a Seer was that we helped get away; another Trelawney if you can believe that." Athena snorted, she'd closed her eyes. "He was starting to molest Branwen, so I did what I do best and I opened my mouth." Athena opened her eyes, they were storm and lost. Hermione wanted to wrap the girl up in her arms but knew that Athena needed to finish her story. "He had me flogged, Hermione."

Hermione gasped in horror. She knew enough about history to know exactly what that meant. Tears formed in her eyes as Athena shifted to her knees, turned and pulled up her long night shirt. Hermione let out a small cry at the sight of the scars that marred the once smooth skin.

She pushed the box out of her way and moved to get closer to Athena. With trembling hands Hermione reached out to touch the scars not believing what she was seeing. She whimpered when the ropy tissue did not vanish under her fingertips. With a cry, Hermione threw herself at her girl's back and hugged her tightly; openly weeping into the disfigured flesh.

"I'm alright, Hermione," Athena promised holding tightly to Hermione's wrists.

Hermione shook her head; her heart hurt for the pain her love had been caused and she felt overwhelming anger as well. "How-how could someone do-do this?"

Athena shrugged. "Rhett was a special bean, that's for sure. He was a cruel man who hurt many people besides me and he'd a rather painful death."

The bookworm growled, she didn't like the nonchalant way that Athena had spoken. "He was a monster!"

"Not arguing that, dove," Athena said softly and Hermione felt her shiver when Hermione's lips gently kissed at the scars. "He's dead and it wasn't natural causes."

It was a long time before Hermione would let Athena go; to force herself to relax her arms more because she left like she was going to fall apart if she stopped touching Athena rather than the other way around. When they were seated again, Hermione was sitting as close to Athena as possible. Athena wrapped an arm around Hermione after she put the box in Hermione's lap.

"Don't worry, dove," Athena promised kissing Hermione's temple. "Branwen would want to you to have what's in here; I think she'd be upset if her legacy didn't do more than collect dust in some trunk in Dorcha Clagh. I think you can put them to better use than I can."

Hermione leaned into Athena as she opened the box, tossing the lid further down the bed deciding she could retrieve it later if needed. She frowned when the first item she pulled out was a wand…that shot golden sparks as Hermione hoisted it into the air. A small voice in her head whispered that the wand was eleven inches of hornbeam with the mane hair of a black unicorn.

The light wood had a slim figure until the hand that was a tight swirl that ended with a blooming rose. Hermione frowned slightly at the acceptance that she felt; how it felt like she was holding her own vine and dragon heartstring wand. She hadn't been this confused about a wand since she'd used Athena's to hex Ronald when he'd tried attacking her cat the previous year; the aspen had responded with no hesitation.

"It likes you." Athena hummed happily. "A second wand isn't quite a bad thing, ya know. We could get you an ankle holster or one of those concealed holsters that go on your belt. Has the expansion charm and is supposed to look a decoration on the belt."

Hermione smirked and looked up at the taller girl. "You want one don't you?"

Athena just smiled crookedly. "Maybe, but I'm comfortable with the holsters I have."

**A**

A weight had lifted off my shoulders as Branwen's wand accepted Hermione. Sort of felt like it was confirming a theory that Branwen really had been reincarnated. Sort of took away the guilt of having started to like Branwen in the same why that I did Hermione; how her magic had reached out for mine.

Which only led to the headache of where the hell had pervious-life-me had been when all this was going down and how the hell could that _bitch_ have let our girl down? Or had my presence there negated an 'Athena' of that era. This was seriously going to give me an ulcer or something as I watched Hermione finish going through the box which didn't hold all of Branwen's things.

I'd kept out clothes and that fucking vambrace/gauntlet thing. Turned my stomach to see the damned thing and brought angry tears to know that every single Paladin had trusted Rigel and their vambrace to save them. Only thing the piece accomplished was looking pretty and nothing more because they required earth magick to work. Gobhar had taken the vambrace before I could light the thing on fire.

Hermione was looking eagerly through Branwen's potion book when that weird egg box that Lord Potter had given me let off a shrill whistle. The outside vanished and left an egg about the size of a grapefruit on top a small nest of quilt batting.

"Huh…I forgot about that," I muttered and Hermione smacked my shoulder as hard as she could. Foxy bookworm had gotten strong. "Ouch! Damn, woman! What was that for?" I demanded as I quickly crawled off the bed, rubbing at my abused shoulder.

Hermione glared at me. "Athena Black!" she cried. "How dare you forget about another pet?!"

I didn't respond because…well, her outrage had merit but in my defense this was the first time the egg had made noise. Gorgo made noise and even the shadowcat had too before he vanished to the Weasley household. I knelt before the dresser that held the egg and watched it starting to wiggle.

Hermione was quick to join me, her ire…mellowed as there came chirping that echoed inside the shell. The little dragonet inside must have gotten frustrated because several minutes after the hatching had started, a large chunk of shell was blown away in a blaze of fire. Hermione squeaked and I laughed; Hagrid was going to be so jealous!

"Come on, buddy," I cooed in encouragement, "You got this!"

Through the hole of the shell I could see flashes of purple, silver and gold in damp feathers and scales. Now Hermione was cooing encouragements, both of us resisting the urge to help the little critter escape its confinement. The little wyvern roared and suddenly the egg broke when it forced its wings out; this time I helped as the top half of the shell was stuck on the wyvern's head.

" _MAMMA!_ " I heard screamed in my head as bright bronze reptile eyes looked up at me.

"What?" I frowned and fell backwards as the little purple creature launched itself at me, tiny front legs reaching out for me.

I heard a small grunt and watched as the wyvern tried flapping its wings but nothing happened. The creature landed in the middle of my stomach, it was heavier than it looked. Hermione started laughing.

"Oh my goodness, he's like Icarus." Hermione cooed at the critter burrowing into my sleeping shirt.

I frowned at her, looking away from the wyvern. "What…wait…what?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I was worried about this chapter but honestly, I needed a feel-good moment because life sucks. My grandma isn't doing good and I needed a distraction and this was it for me. Foul or fair, this chapter is what it is and I hope you like; but if you don't that's alright.**

Chapter Five: Changes upon Changes…

Everything was going good with little Icarus, the name stuck, as Jubilee had brought a bowl of milk, honey and finely chopped meats for the hungry little beast. Apparently Lord Potter had left instructions via Harry who'd wisely given them to the smart one of the group…Jubilee. Hermione had explained that Icarus was a boy because he had horns…there was a joke in there, somewhere, I'm sure.

I was keeping the fact that I could hear the little guy to myself because I was already hearing voices; what was one more? Nope, problem came in Icarus got livid that his other momma couldn't hear him. Should have realize that the wyvern would have imprint upon those he'd seen just coming out of the shell…really should have gotten a book. Promise, I would have read this one.

If I had then I would have known that wyverns, like many dragons, are capable of creature magic. Which is a form of earth magic…which is why I can hear him. Thus how little Icarus stomped his front feet and glared at his 'mommy' and his little bronze eyes glowed brightly. Hermione cried out in pain and grabbed her head; I caught her as she started to fall off the bed. I panicked when she went limp in my arms.

"What did you did?!" I cried at the now worried looking wyvern.

" _Mommy no heard Icky!_ " he complained with a whimper; I was trying not to think about why he could actually talk. " _Mommy had to heard Icky so Icky did sparkles_!"

"JUBILEE!" I cried and the little elf popped in looking scared, wide eyed wearing an apron and holding a spatula. Pretty sure I've never yelled for her before.

Hermione's nose was starting to bleed. "Can you get us to the infirmary post haste?" I asked hosting Hermione into my arms.

Icarus leapt onto my arm, little golden claws digging into my skin and making me hiss as Jubilee did ask I asked. Alex and Dimitri burst into the room at the same time as we were leaving. I forgot them the moment the infirmary popped into existence; Jubilee was kind enough to remove the wyvern as I was yelling for Madam Pompfrey.

The Matron of Painful Visits came rushing out of her office, a clipboard in hand. She blinked at me and then ordered me to put Hermione in a bed. I was shoved to the side as Madam Pompfrey drew her wand and started scanning my girlfriend. Her deep and confused frown was not helping my mounting anxiety. There was a prickle of fear that fluttered through me as Hermione continued to pale.

"Her magic's being attacked," Pompfrey muttered half turning and shooting off a patronus, I'm not sure what the creature was because I wasn't paying attention, but I know that several went out at once. I was focused on Hermione's pale features.

"Dammit, Icarus, what exactly did you do?" I growled at the quivering creature in Jubilee's arms. Madam Pompfrey looked shocked to see the purple critter.

Tearful bronze eyes looked pleadingly at me. " _Icky make Mommy hear!_ " he whimpered. " _Icky sowy!_ "

I looked to Pompfrey; best to look away least I do something I'd regret. "He says he was trying to make Hermione hear him."

"How are you hearing him?" the Matron demanded.

Pain stabbed at the back of my head as the voices answered. I nearly crumpled as I held my head. "Fucking earth magick," I growled out trying to focus on my Great Wall to block them out. "I can hear him because of earth magick."

The pain in my head eased up but there were spots on my vision as it receded. I gasped for air because I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath. My heart still hammered in my chest as I watched a blurry Pompfrey starting to chant over Hermione. I felt useless.

I jumped when the doors to the infirmary slammed open and it was Dimitri who was leading the charge in; Alex, Grand and Dumbledore in his wake. Pompfrey protested when Dimitri gently moved her out of his way and ignored her; with a flourish of his hands, Hermione was encased in a bright yellow glow. Yellow-yellow, not golden.

He was chanting in the language of the druid priests of old. The voices, now distant in my head, told me he was isolating the attack that Icarus had caused and isolating the damage. There was too great a difference between the magic of old and the magic of the present. The two were warring themselves inside Hermione's magical core and could cancel each other out; best case scenario was that it'd kill her…quickly.

Once Dimitri had the 'infection' isolated, he gently wove the earth magick into Hermione's natural magic like a patch on a torn piece of cloth. I was very thankful for my new friend, none of the Lancelots in my head had ever been healers. Ruddy bastards, the lot of them, had been fighters and had relied on the other knights to do the healing.

Finally Dimitri sighed and the yellowish hue around Hermione faded. His shoulders sagged and he sat down heavily on the bed behind him. The adults in the room were still in stunned silence.

"I have…fixed what was done," Dimitri announced but was still frowning. "She will…probably being hearing other magical creatures now more than the…creature with Jubilation. Err," he looked over at Icarus still cuddled with Jubilee, "the little bird-lizard did not mean this in malevolent…umm…bad manner. I think he will not be for doing it again once he understands. Also, Athena…you are bleeding."

That snapped Gran's attention back to the present. "What in the name of Merlin happened?" she asked kneeling beside Pompfrey who was now kneeling beside me.

"Lord Potter's gift hatched," I said beckoning Jubilee over. She sat Icarus on the bed where I pointed. "Icarus," the purple and silver wyvern looked very pitiful as he lifted his head. "You can't do this again, Icky. You really hurt Mommy," I explained and ignored the noises of surprise around him. Dimitri just snorted loudly in amusement. "You have me and Dimitri," I pointed to the other Knight, "to talk to, you can't just attack people. Do you understand?"

A large teardrop slipped down his royal purple cheek as the wyvern nodded. " _Icky sowy, Mama. Icky just wanted Mommy._ "

I felt like an asshole. I wanted to be livid with him but he was just a baby; like literally a baby. "I know, bud, but there are rules. Otherwise you can't stay here at Hogwarts."

The little wyvern roared unhappily and started bouncing on the bed in a temper tantrum. His little clawed paws slapping the bed and his wings flapped in an exceedingly uncoordinated manner as his golden lined, arrow-head shaped tail lashed back and forth; he even spewed a bit of blue colored flames. It all stopped when Gran flicked the end of his muzzle; he hissed at her and she hissed back, the wyvern cowered.

"That's right, lad, I'm in charge," Gran growled. Oh, this was weird. "You better behave yourself or you'll be sent away." Icarus tried to make himself as small as possible; wrapping his tail around himself and drew in his wings as he cowered down. "Do this," she pointed to Hermione, "to another of my students and I'll be the one to deal with you and not my granddaughter."

Icarus picked his head up, tilting his head and carefully studied Gran before looking to me. " _Grand-mama?_ " he asked and I nodded; I swear the wyvern grinned. " _GRAND-MAMA!_ "

He started to prance happily which meant he was shifting foot to foot and fluttering his wings; little puffs of smoke rolled out of his nostrils. Gran frowned when she demanded to know what he'd said. Alex coughed away her amusement from behind me as Gran glowered.

"Are you really considering letting this creature reside in the castle?" Dumbledore demanded tersely. I was wondering when he was going to start cackling like a mad, wet hen.

I stood, my knees a bit wobbly, and nodded. "Yes, for reasons. One, he's mine and this won't happen again. Second, if I get rid of him my girlfriend will do grievous bodily harm to myself and I'd rather avoid that. Thirdly, he calls me _mama_ and it seems like a jerk move to, ya know, break his heart." I pointed out to the irate old man; out of the corner of my eye I swear I saw Icarus stick his tongue out at Dumbledore and blow him a raspberry. "Besides, you've a magical creature who can affect others."

"Oh, right, the phoenix," Alex nodded. "Ya know, this would never happen in the States. Y'all got magical creatures in your living spaces and then ya wonder why things go tits-up."

"Preaching to the choir!" Pompfrey glowered, her wand still pointed at the areas where Icarus had clawed me; it should worry me that I hadn't noticed her healing me. I couldn't feel it; either she was getting better at painless healing or the areas had numbed themselves.

**A**

There was a gathering in the infirmary when word got out that that's where we were. After Dumbledore had left, pouting like a grumpy child, Dimitri and I had a long conversation in Old English; so that others wouldn't understand us. We discussed what had happened to my foxy bookworm and knowing exactly had helped the harsh pain in my chest. As had the knowledge that she was going to be fine once she woke up with in the day or so; she was just going to be able to understand magical creatures and possible parseltongue like Harry. Oh the joy…

It was truly no surprise that Luna bonded very quickly with little Icarus. She knew all the spots to scratch and helped Jubilee give him a bath to get the sticky stuff off him that was left over him his hatching. The little wyvern was in heaven with Luna and kept calling her the 'Glittery One'; Harry was known as 'The Glittery One's Mate'.

"The Boy-Who-Lived-to-become-The-Glittery-One's-Mate!" Fred and George were near rolling on the floor giggling and were tossed out by Madam Pompfrey for disturbing the peace.

It was around noon that Gran returned, having left a few hours pervious when she learned that Hermione was going to be fine, and looked upset. She said nothing, just handed me a letter; I was dressed now thanks to Jubilee and privacy dividers and had been lounging in a chair reading up on Wyverns. Hermione would be proud. I took the folded piece of paper, a little apprehensive because of the concern wafting off Gran.

The letter was short and written in Aunt Andy's hand. Just said, 'family emergency, come to Grimmauld, need Lady Black'. I gaped at the letter and glanced over at Hermione and Icarus, the wyvern was curled up on Hermione's pillow next to her head and was purring softly in his sleep.

"Go," Gran stated quietly. "I'll watch over them," she promised and scowled a little, "the wyvern will listen as I'm his….grand-mama. Go." She commanded.

I nodded, finally and left the infirmary for a nearby balcony. There I shifted to my hawk form and headed for Hogsmeade so I could apperate to London. I really hadn't wanted to leave and I was worried how Icarus would respond to me not being there. The situation with the wyvern was too new to know how anything was going happen.

However, that was all forgotten as a terse and sour-faced Aunt Andy ushered me into number 12 Grimmauld Place when I knocked on the door. Not even when with the trouble of Second Year had I seen her expression get that…frustrated. Nym was keeping Aunt Cissy in the living room; I caught a peak of the younger woman with older woman wrapped up in rope with a cloth shoved her in mouth. What in the world…

"Aunt Andy…what is going on? Did I really just see what I thought I saw in there?" I gaped and pointed back towards the room Aunt Andy had marched quickly past.

"Yes," the healer growled over her shoulder. "Cissy couldn't keep her mouth shut and I'd had enough. Between Sirius and his…err…that issue and her…well, tying her up and gaging her seemed the safer option. I'm sure that's not the type of gaging and tying up that she's used too…"

"Eww…" I grimaced and smacked her shoulder lightly. "That's gross, why would you say that?" my aunt just smirked. Alright then. "Though, however nasty that comment was, still doesn't tell me exactly what…oh, oh-kay…" I was speechless as I was led into the kitchen.

There, with Healer Strout, at the kitchen table was…a woman who looked very much like my mother but couldn't have been, I did a double take and looked closer; glanced between the new woman and Aunt Andy. The similarities were striking in the bone structure, eye shapes and eye color. It was the body build that was different; Aunt Andy was smaller and slimmer where the woman had wider shoulders and was taller.

"Umm…what?" I squeaked, so very much confessed.

The woman glowered, speaking in a rather pretty voice, "hello, baby cousin, you come to gawk too?"

I sat down quickly at the table and blinked at the woman. "Sirius?" I asked because he's the only one who ever called me that with that particular connotation of irritation to the term.

"Look at you," the woman mocked, "you're quicker than the rest of the birds in this roost. I'm fine, you can leave back to Hogwarts."

Healer Strout snorted and stated loftily, "you are not fine, Mister…err…Miss Black. You are malnourished, again, and are possibly pregnant! You are playing dangerous with your health and that of your possible child."

I slapped the table to head off Sirius's retort. "Okay….this has already been a really weird and extremely trying day for me and I am not in the mood for pussyfooting around the subject of whatever in the hell is happening here. Sirius, why are you a woman?"

She snorted contemptuously but swallowed whatever nasty comment she had when she was met with my glare. I just sighed when Sirius held…err…her peace. Now I see why Aunt Andy sent for me.

"Sirius, I'm not going to judge you. Not when I have memories of being a dude in my head," I told him…her…this was confusing. "Not that I'd care anyways. Your gender is your business but your health isn't; please tell me."

Sirius glared at me. "Fine," she snapped. "If you blithering birds must know, I-I…I took a human transfiguration pill, alright! I was trying to see if I felt…better as a woman." Well, that was surprising, but not as much as what was muttered next, "it worked before."

"Before?" I asked. "Sirius, honestly, I'm not here to judge you. Do…do you want to tell me in private? Without the healers here?"

Sirius glanced at Aunt Andy and then nodded quickly. It was Healer Strout that got my aunt to leave the room and I quickly warded the door so they couldn't hear what was being said. Sirius didn't speak until after Kreacher had brought a fresh pot of tea.

"When I was sixteen, you know I ran away from home," Sirius started, rolling her teacup between her hands. I nodded and Sirius continued, "The whole reason wasn't because of the pureblood drivel that my parents were spouting. It was because my mother caught me…as a girl. Like physically a girl. Ja-James, the year before, had played a prank and had turned me into a girl that McGonagall had to reverse but I'd never felt comfortable in my own skin," she confided and wiped at her teary eyes. "I'd always felt unsettled and confused. I wanted girly things but learned not to ask as a child; my parents had standards and a Nancy for a son wasn't one of them."

I nodded slowly. "So, being a girl was like an epiphany?" I asked, understand the concept of wanting to crawl out of your own skin and being in the wrong body; that's how I felt before I figured out my hawk.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, like a big one. I cried when your grandmother turned me back; she assumed it was hormones but it was because I didn't want to be stuck as a boy again."

"And so, you decided to try again?" I asked softly. "Is this why you were having so much trouble with the mind healers?"

Again Sirius nodded. "But not the whole reason." She sighed heavily when I kept quiet, waiting for her to continue. "I-I…well, when I ran away to the Potters…I sort of slept with James and got pregnant," she confessed and I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. "I did like you friend, Angie did, used a glamor and concealment charm to hide the pregnancy with James and Moony's help..."

I held up a hand to stop her…Sirius because I needed to process this. If I was understanding this correctly then Sirius bolted from his (her?) family because they found out he (she) was transgendered; okay, that made sense. The fact that Sirius seems to have bedded his best friend; honestly not surprising given everything I've ever heard about their friendship. It was the fact that they had a child that got me.

"How was the pregnancy viable?" I asked curiously. "Last year when Su…err…the Weasley boys became girls…I think that was last year…anyways, they turned back, though they did experience their monthlies."

Sirius smirked and shook her head. "Yea, and I bet they weren't shagged at any point in which they had holes instead of poles, right?"

I shuddered slightly. "I'd rather not think of the mating habits of redheaded menaces. However, with their mother hovering and being under constant watch, I'm going to say no, they were not shagged."

The woman on the other side of the table laughed and then drain her teacup. "Yea, see, magic will protect life because life is magic. When I became pregnant my magic protected the life inside me and I stayed as a girl…woman, until I gave birth to a daughter."

I blinked slowly and then nodded. "Okay, as I've never heard of this daughter that you speak, I'm going to say that she was either stillborn or you gave her up."

"We had to give her up," Sirius snarled darkly. "Ma Potter wasn't wrong when she said that the Death Eaters would have very much hated me and my condition. I'm an anomaly but they would have taken mine and James's child because she was born as a pureblood." She shoved her cup away rather roughly and I caught it before it could roll off my side of the table.

I'm sure that was a connection to this child and what was happening now. "So, you were failing in healing because of the child you gave up?" Sirius nodded. "So, what does this have to do with what Strout said about you being pregnant again?"

Sirius pushed herself back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest…but stopped when boobs got in the way. "Because I am pregnant!" she cried in aggregation. "Two months so and Moony is a despicable bastard whom will have his balls cut off next time I see him." Okay…that was unexpected; this visit was turning out to be a feast of surprises. "But I can't be pregnant…"

"Err…dumb question, why?" I asked, carefully inspecting Sirius for the hint of a wand. I didn't feel like being hexed today. "Are you barren in this form or were you using protection? Sirius, what you do…who you do is your own business. I feel like I've said that before…hmm…" I shook my head and looked back to my cousin. "Anyways, is this pregnancy thing hazardous to your health or is this something to do with your prior pregnancy."

Honest to the divines, Sirius let out a wail and slammed her fists into the table. I cast a cushioning charm so she didn't break her hands with the strength she was beating on the table. For once, the voices had nothing to add to the situation.

"How can I be worthy to have another child?" Sirius snapped suddenly. "When I gave up my daughter? I let Mrs. Potter take my child that I carried, that I felt grow, that'd been conceived with the love of my life…I let her take my baby and give her to some rotten muggles in Canada in the name of protection. Then I failed Harry because I couldn't stand to look at him!" She screamed and whimpered. "It killed me to watch my love marry that-that woman!" Sirius hissed hatefully. "Watch her get everything that I wanted in my life. She got to carry Harry openly while I had to hide and pretend that I'd got some muggle illness that nobody had ever heard of to explain my morning sickness and sneak out of the castle at night to meet a healer for checkups! Then-then Ja-James died and Harry, perfect little Harry looked so much like my daughter had when she was born and he looked so much like Ja-James that I couldn't even touch him!" Sirius confessed.

Well…that explained a lot. I kind of felt bad now for all the named I'd ever called Sirius. Still selfish though with not telling about Pettigrew but I digress. Carefully, I got up and went around and hugged my weepy cousin.

"What can I do to help, Sirius?" I asked once her sobs had lessened.

She hugged me tighter. "I'm not giving up my baby, not again."

"I wasn't asking you to and I don't think Aunt Andy was either," at least, I hope she wasn't. "You know that I want this family to be healthy and be better than it was before our fall to darkness. You child is a Black even if they end up chasing their tails someday."

Sirius snorted and leaned back from me. "The werewolf taint isn't passed along unless both parents are werewolves and are transformed when the child is conceived. Despite what Cissy said, I did not let Moony mount me like I was a bitch in heat. Doggy style as-" the rest was muffled with a snap of my fingers. Sirius just started laughing; that too was muffled.

"What is it with you people and gross comments?" I asked unhappily. "First Aunt Andy and now you. I get that I'm getting older but you know, my virginity and such is like the last shred of innocence that I have left and I'd like to keep it for a while, ya know? Till my wedding night or whatever traditionalist spout that happens after Hermione and I graduate from The Castle of Revolving Villains."

The muffled laughs stopped and Sirius tapped her throat to lift my hex. "I'm sorry, Athena. I'll refrain from dirty jokes and such."

"Thank you," I bowed my head to my cousin. "I really do appreciate that. I mean, I do have the memories of the Knights who came before and their…sex lives but I can normally block those out; talking about it doesn't help. Sometimes it's hard to remember how old I actually am." I sighed wistfully and then nudged Sirius with my elbow. "Now, back to you. You know that I will kick anyone who tries to separate you from your child. Being Lady Black has to count for something and I don't think Wizengamot would ever grant custody to Remus Lupin; not being racist or anything but he is a werewolf and they are sort of looked down upon."

Sirius sighed and laid her head on her folded arms. "I want my daughter back, Athena. That was always the plan. We set up a Gringotts account for her and letters saying we'd find her when the war was over but James and I grew apart after she was gone and then the Potters died from the Dragon Pox just after graduation; they were the ones who knew how to reverse the concealments and had the names of the muggles who adopted our child. James died and I went to Azkaban."

I hummed thoughtfully. It would seem that in one of those books Aunt Cissy read to me that blood magic and the authority of the Head of the House had the power to overwrite any concealment charm or spell. I think I had a plan.

"Sirius," I said softly and she grunted in acknowledgement, "is the reason you didn't keep the girl because you weren't disowned so she would technically show up on the family tapestry thingy…right?"

"Yes."

Okay…that was oddly terrifying. "The reason she didn't was because it was the Potters who hid her and canceled out the Black half after you gave up all rights to be her parents therefor eliminating your child as a potential heir?" Sirius sat up and nodded. "Don't look surprised, Aunt Cissy has literally spent every moment she can since I became a Black pushing wizarding tradition down my throat. Inheritance law was part of that. Did you know that Fergus McGonagall could, theoretically, be found guilty of line theft and child endangerment?" I asked and Sirius just blinked at me. "Yep, if Gran wanted to push it or if the Blacks hadn't been of a higher rank; Fergus could be sitting in Azkaban with a three year sentence and stripped of rank and family name along with his children. As I wasn't of majority when I was disowned, that's child endangerment because then Fraser, legally, was no longer responsible for me; the bastard could have tossed my ass in the trash if he wanted."

"I'm guessing your Gran didn't peruse this because she'd already lost two children and didn't want to lose another?" Sirius asked knowingly.

I shrugged. "Don't know, Gran's never said and I never asked. Talking about the McGonagall clan has never really been beneficial to my mental health. However, I think I can find your daughter if I can get Lord Potter to help me create a new family tapestry with a little bit of blood magic."

Sirius's eyes went wide. "Because you and Archie share the same blood as James and I you can theoretically break the concealments."

"Or you could donate and we'd have a better chance as we're just cousins but yes," I nodded, "that's my working theory. However, in the meantime, you being a berk and not letting the healers tend to you is…well, stupid. You are doing worse than giving up a child as you are blatantly putting them at risk and withholding medical care."

Sirius frowned. "But an exam will, should, show that I've given birth before."

I smacked her upside the head. "Dumbass, what you think is going to happen when we find your daughter. You and James just propagated by what? Osmosis?"

"Pretty sure that's not how that works," Sirius said narrowing her eyes at me.

"No shite, Sherlock, that's my point!" I cried. "One way or another, they are going to know. Might as well get the truth out there and deal with it before it gets worse. That being said, draw straws to tell Harry…he hates being lied too." The already pale Sirius paled further and for a second I thought she was going to faint with that pained look she was sporting.

**A**

I waited to go call on Lord Potter just to see the reaction that Sirius's confession would get out of my aunts. Honestly, I was curious and also there to keep murder from occurring; I felt sorry for Nym. She was the one who had to shove Aunt Cissy's gag back in without getting bit.

"I'm coming with you," Nym announced after she'd gotten away from Aunt Cissy. "Mum can take Sirius to St. Mungo's for whatever and one of the house elves can deal with her," she glared at her Aunt and got a glare in return. "Besides, I've been to the sanctuary where they work."

I smirked. "Nym, don't over sell it, you had me at having the house elves dealing with Bitty McBitter over there." Aunt Cissy didn't appreciate the name while Nym laughed so hard she was crying.

Once Nym was able to breathe again and Kreacher had been called to deal with Aunt Cissy, my pink-haired cousin hugged me tightly and then apperated away. The Welsh Dragon Sanctuary was not what I was expecting; for some reason I was thinking canyons and warrens. Instead, we found a long sloping valley with some stone structures that sort of looked like boxes on stilts and some distance away were a collection of stone huts; none of them looked flammable.

I looked to Nym when she started humming Madonna; the Auror was staring up the clouds. What in the world? Nym must have felt me staring at her because she chuckled.

"We have to wait for them to come get us," Nym pointed out without looking away from the clouds. "This little clearing is heavily enchanted," now she looked at me. "I'm surprised you have noticed because of your hand."

I jumped when the happy voice of Lady Potter filled the air. "Oh, we had to hide the enchantments, the dragons were getting curious." I'll be honest, Sara Potter reminds of Luna. "How can I help you lovely ladies today…Harry is alright…right?"

"Yes," I nodded quickly and waved off her concern, "but we're still here on family business that requires Lord Potter."

"Alrighty," Lady Potter nodded and held out a hand to Nym and me. "Take my hand and we'll head to the main office."

The office was warming that it looked; being made of thick stone without windows but charmed so to be see-thru. Also, it was bigger on the inside with more rooms than it should have had. Lady Potter did offer us a tour but I declined because I felt like I should be in a hurry.

Lord Potter, in his big office with a wall that showed several different areas of the sanctuary including where Nym and I had arrived, was finishing up paper work when his wife knocked on his open door. They locked gazes and the line of Lord Potter's shoulders eased; she'd told him that Harry wasn't the reason for this visit.

Which, why would it be? I'm not his Head of House and though I'm a Knight I'm not responsible for the boy. People freak out too easily.

"So," Lord Potter had gotten up and had guided over to a set of comfy looking chairs. "What can I do for you, ladies?"

The chairs were as comfy as they looked. "Well," I said wiggling in the fuzzy chair, "first off, ya really should have given an owner's manual with the wyvern. It hatched today and decided to make Hermione understand him."

Lady Potter gasped, horrified. "Is she okay?" Lady Potter asked worriedly.

I nodded. "She is or I wouldn't be as calm as I am. Icarus didn't like the fact that I could hear him and his 'mommy' couldn't. It was earth magick and Dimitri was able to fix the damage." I admitted and the other three adults relaxed; I'm not sure that Nym understood more than Hermione had some trouble and was now okay. "Not the reason that Nym and I are here but any books on wyverns that you could recommend would be nice and I promise to actually read them."

Lord Potter smirked and nodded. "Yeah, I know several ya might find useful. Now, why are you here?"

"Well-well, it-it would seem that your brother and Sirius got pregnant when they were Sixth Years through human transfiguration that turned Sirius into a girl." I decided to rip the band aid off and you could have heard a pin drop in the room. "It would seem that they had a daughter but gave her up in March of 1977 to protect her from the Black family and Death Eaters. I think that with your help, Lord Potter, we can find her and bring her home. She's a Potter according to Sirius but she's also a Black."

"Oh…" Sara suddenly said, snapping her fingers together. "That makes so much more sense now. That's what I was seeing rambling in Sirius's noggin." She blushed and admitted, "I thought it was strange that whenever he'd look at Harry there was hints of jealously and he kept repeating the same word over and over again. Seren, a name I think?"

I nodded. "Yes, it means 'star' in Welsh…umm, Black family tradition to name ourselves after the stars or mythology."

"Huh…" Lord Potter grunted and slowly blinked. "Well, that's not something you hear about every day…" he's tone was questionable. I'm not sure that he wasn't about to protest but he caught my glare, he saved himself my saying, "Really, as Sixth Years?"

"Yea, glamour and concealments," I pointed out. "That's how Angie got through her Fourth Year carrying Alec. They would have been like sixteen or so. I have a hard time with ages anymore but I do know that Baby Potter should be close to seventeen." That sounded about right. "I think that with a blank sheet of canvas we can create a new family tapestry. A family tree that shows all members."

"Have you told Harry?" Lord Potter asked, the look on his face indiscernible.

Nym scoffed. "We just found out like right before we came here. You aren't the only ones who are mighty surprised by the shagging practices of teenagers."

**A**

Lord Potter agreed to help. He and Lady Potter would come back Grimmauld Place later that evening after their shift at the Sanctuary had ended. In the meantime, Nym would report to Madam Bones and I would start gathering supplies.

Needed was several yards of fabric, as well as a ceremonial silver dagger, an inheritance potion and several bottles of tattooing ink; both of which could be pick up in Diagon Alley. Also needed that book about the tapestry. Before any of that, though, I needed to write Gran and let her know I would be gone longer than just the day.

Upon returning to Grimmauld, we found that Aunt Cissy had done a 180º and was cooing over the moving sonogram with Sirius. At least the two…witches had made up and were now bonding over babies. Had to wonder if Kreacher had dosed Aunt Cissy with something.

Found Aunt Andy coming out of the library with a small and thin book her in hand; it was the book about tapestries. I thanked her and then mentioned having to write Gran. Aunt Andy just nodded and then marched to the fireplace and flooed to Gran's office. I'm not sure that Aunt Andy was handling this as well at all.

With a sigh I sat down next to Sirius on the couch. She proudly handed me a copy of the sonogram. All I could make out were lines and a little bean.

"Congrats, you're having lentils?" I asked, confused. "They're a bean…right?"

Sirius smirked and pointed to the dot. "That's my baby, dork. Eight weeks give or take."

"Wait…" I sat up, I was hit with a sudden thought, "are you saying that since like butt-end of July you've been wear glamours?"

Sirius nodded, still smiling at the picture in her hand with the other over her lower stomach. Ya know, today didn't feel like a Sunday. Felt like a Monday, pure and simple Monday. Real Monday was going to suck!

I sighed before asking, "So, Sirius…I have to ask, do you want to make the transition permanent? Don't have to worry about reverting back to a dude or whatever…because they can do that right?"

Sirius grinned happily. "That's already done, baby cousin. While Andy and I were in St. Mungo's; a simple spell to modify my magical core to keep the transformation. I had a talk with Strout and Andy beforehand and we decided that it was healthier for me not worry about reverting back." That I would have to agree with because Sirius already looked ten times happier and overall better than this morning. "I just have to fix things at Gringotts and the Ministry and the rest can go bugger themselves."

"Okay," I nodded, I needed a nap. "Want to get that out of the way?" I asked. "I have to go to Gringotts for an inheritance potion, should also talk to Uncle Ted…fuck! Between Icarus and you lot, you're going to give me gray hairs!" I whimpered tiredly.

Sirius cooed softly and put an arm over my shoulders. "It'll be alright, Athena. Just take a breath and realize this all doesn't have to be done in a day. Also, who is Icarus?"

**A**

I'd been napping on the living room couch at Grimmauld when Potters arrived that evening. If I thought I was tried after returning from the Valley of the Dragons…hmm, that was a better name for the Sanctuary than what they had….well, I was gravely mistaken. Should have known that things were going to sideways when Aunt Cissy started fussing over Sirius.

She wasn't about to Sirius out dressed, and I quote 'like a rejected mannequin picked its clothes from the trash bin outside some muggle secondhand shop' end quote. Hell started with a rather pretty sundress and Prada.

My next mistake was not giving some thought before taking Sirius with me to Diagon Alley. The woman was giddy and bubbly and she looked like my mother. Which there lies the problem as there was a slight panic because people had thought that my mother had escaped from Azkaban. It would explain all the antsy people I was ignoring.

Also, how Madam Bones and a dozen Hit Wizards came to all but storm Gringotts were Sirius was officially changing her gender for account access and records. Griphook had been very eager to hear about the lost Potter and promised all the aid that he could. However, with concealments in place he couldn't even tell us who'd claimed the account that he and James had set up for their child; just that it had been starting in 1988. He couldn't even tell us what branch the account had been accessed from.

When we'd come out of Griphook's office Madam Bones was there demanding answers. She grunted unhappily at the short version of the tale, Sirius was transgendered and had transitioned and was just going through the legality of it all. Bones looked Sirius up and down then Sirius that she made a pretty lass and then ordered her people to leave. Best part was that Sirius blushed at the compliment.

Then came the hassle of finding a store that sold large bolts of canvas because I was lazy. Normal tapestries are hand-woven but I don't have time for that crap. I almost murdered Sirius when we entered _Madam Malkin's Robes_ ; she wanted to buy a pretty set of robes and decided I was the perfect person to get advice. There's a reason why Jubilee handles everything to do with my wardrobe.

Thankfully, the owner of the shop arrived and kept me from trying to mount a defense case. The two witches cooed and cackled over dress designs and so forth while I stood by in complete disgust. I was tired and I was starving by the time that we left the shop finally having gotten the bolt of cloth that I wanted and Sirius's four dress robes that I'm sure Jubilee was going to be offended by the mere sight of them.

Before I gave up on the waking world I caught sight of Aunt Andy down the hall, just outside of the kitchen. She was talking with Kreacher; the conversation interrupted when Sirius started calling for Aunt Cissy because she wanted to show off the clothes she'd gotten. I was rethinking murder.

**A**

Aunt Andy woke me and the house smelled like stew; my mouth watered and my stomach rumbled and I realized I hadn't eaten all day. My aunt sat down beside me after I'd sat up and she chuckled when I leaned into her side, my head on her shoulder. She gently slapped my cheek.

"None of the now, little girl," she teased. "I didn't wake you up just so that you could fall back to sleep."

I blinked lazily and looked up at her. "Then why did you disturb my slumber?" I asked, my voice rough and raspy with sleep.

Aunt Andy smirked. "The Potters are due to arrive in ten minutes according to the message they sent earlier. Also, you Gran wanted me to tell you that Hermione is awake and she can talk to Icarus, very cute by the way and also upset that his mama left him." I sighed happily knowing that Hermione had woken up; I just sort of melted with relief. "Minerva was very upset to learn that about what'd happened to Sirius right under her nose. Another of her cubs who tricked her; she was muttering something about goblins and anti-concealment charms at one point."

I just smirked. "That'd been something to see. The Weasley twins would never get away with anything again." Not sure the house cup would ever be won by Gryffindor again. "Was…was Hermione okay?" I asked looking back up at my aunt. "I mean, was she feeling okay? Think I should…never mind…Jubilee!" I called out.

Jubilee popped into existence there before the couch. "Yes, Miss Hammy?"

I ignored the amusement from my aunt about the nickname. "Jubilee, I don't think I'm getting back to Hogwarts today or possible tomorrow depending upon how everything plays out," Jubilee just nodded as I spoke. "Could you please bring me some sleeping clothes and stuff for tomorrow? Also, could you possible…maybe…give Hermione a stuffed tiger with some chocolate for me?" I asked trying to keep my cheeks from reddening. "I think that catalog that Madam Bones sent me is in my school trunk. You have permission to spend the extra coin for the rush delivery."

Jubilee beamed at me proudly and nodded. With a snap of her fingers, the little elf vanished. Aunt Andy just snickered at me and made kissy faces. She sobered up a little when I asked her about the last time that Uncle Ted had gotten her chocolates and a stuffed animal.

**A**

I was still recovering from my nap when the Potters arrived and Aunt Cissy ushered them into the dining room. Lord Potter had a lot of questions for Sirius but he really didn't get ask them as his wife started giggling. She stunned the table as she started asking Sirius about the joys of clothes shopping; it was horrifying to watch. Why must the torture continue? At least the stew was delicious and I got to eat my fill.

When it came time to create the tapestry…I think I may have enjoyed cutting Sirius a little too much. Aunt Andy gave me a knowing look when she healed Sirius's arm where I collected the blood into the bowl with the inheritance potion. I wasn't going to deny it if asked but everyone was smart enough not to ask.

Then Lord Potter and I went into the drawing room; same room where that accursed anger ball had been. On the large table that the room housed was a sheet of canvas already cut and laid out; on the side table were the bottles of ink that'd been charmed for a self-filling so that we wouldn't run out of ink.

I handed the little bowl with Sirius's blood to Lord Potter so I could let my blood into the mix, healed myself and then held the bowl for the lord. When that was done, the silver knife was put away and I poured the mixture of blood into the series of ink bottles. This is where the magic started.

Lord Potter stood at the end of the table while I stood at the end of the other; our wands held aloft. In unison we started to chant as our wands moved in a complex dance as we asked our ancestors to start revealing themselves; the chant changed so only those in the last hundred years would be shown because they don't go by decades. The room filled with a dull greyish light and the ink bottles lifted into the air and started to pour themselves over the canvas.

This was harder than I thought it was going to be. The greyish light and the ink bottles was distracting, the chant was near tongue tying and the wand movements couldn't falter but I couldn't stop or look away from Lord Potter. If I broke eye contact then the ritual would fail.

My left palm started to burn and my teeth started to itch as faces started to appear with names and dates. The magic that we were using was immense and a bead of sweat started to form at my brow and temples. In my stomach that stew I'd stuffed myself on was starting to roll as if I were upon the high seas.

Lord Potter broke first when the stupid ink bottles finally drifted back to their original perch. The man's knees gave out as that grey light settled over the canvas and sealed the ink; leaving little tendrils at the bottom for future generations. I wiped the sweat that had started to drip into my eyes with a trembling arm.

There were several points with the Black family touched the Potter family in the last hundred years. I frowned when I saw my part of the tapestry because there wasn't a death date under Robert's picture. That was curious and confusing and so totally not why this thing had been made.

I followed Bellatrix's generational line over and found Sirius. Her face was connected by silver lines (unmarried but with child…aka bastard lines) to both James Potter and Remus Lupin. The line connected to the line between Remus and Sirius only had an empty face circle as that child had yet to be before. However, the line between Sirius and James was another matter.

There in the face circle was a hazel eyed girl with a cheeky grin. I could only gap at her because she could have been the third twin with Harry and myself save the eyes. She had the Black features but Potter eyes. James and Sirius had made a very good looking being.

"Lindsey Elizabeth Clarke," I read her name aloud. "Huh…that should be enough to let Griphook do his thing."

Lord Potter frowned, his arms resting on the table edge and was the only thing keeping him from the floor. "That name sounds strangely familiar for some reason."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, firstly I want to thank everyone for their reviews and comments; thank you for the words of support regarding my Gran. Unfortunately she passed away maybe an hour, hour and a half, after I'd posted my last chapter. When I went to help with things my phone crashed around midnight that Sunday; I mean like it just froze and would not turn back on, wouldn't recognize another power cable.**

 **So I was without internet for the week. I got a replacement today so, you can thank replacement Brutus for this chapter; cause, ya know, Et tu Brute? It's been a really trying week, going through my grandmother's things just to get it taken care of; just a little tip, if you know someone who has old pictures tell them to put frigging names on the back in pencil, pen bleeds through.**

 **Any-who…thank you for reading. Also, Girl-Sirius is fun to write more so than angsty-Sirius who just needs punched in the face. Making Sirius transgendered just felt natural and seemed to explain a lot about what Sirius's problem was; why he was so pushy and just the general obsession with Harry.**

 ***busts open the doors to the Great Hall and runs in yelling* Harry Potter…I don't own Harry Potter…just thought you ought to know *faints dramatically***

Chapter Six: Seek and You Will Find…

I truly appreciated the fact that Jubilee hadn't dressed me in Camelot colors. The bright blue and crème got old after a while and made me feel separated from there of the black robed host that walked Hogwarts's halls. Thank the divines I had Dimitri in the same hues as me or I would have truly gone made within the first week.

Jubilee put me in comfy grey slacks with sturdy leather boots like I'd had before the time jump. The button up she'd brought was starch white with a silver vest of current fashion. However, what I loved the best was the modern frock coat Jubilee had added, went to my knees without the large cuffs and fancy lapels. It was black in color with silver thread and smaller brass buttons with ravens embossed on the faces.

Aunt Andy just rolled her eyes at me as Jubilee handed me a black fedora with a wide red satin band and a pair of sunglasses like Hooch's. Octagonal shaped lens that were mirrored silver with a gold washed frame. With the accessories on, Jubilee gave me a nod of satisfaction and then left Grimmauld. I sighed happily and followed Aunt Andy to Grimmauld's apparition spot.

It'd been weird staying at Grimmauld instead of going back to Aunt Andy's house or to Dorcha Clagh but it was Aunt Andy's choice that I stay. Lord Potter had had to have help getting back to his house…wherever that was. Weirdest part had been waking up as I could have cared less about where I'd gone to sleep. I'd been put in a room that seemed to have Slytherin colors stuck to the walls.

I was glad to be leaving the house that still needed some highway yellow paint in my opinion. Also, the sound of Sirius having morning sickness wasn't the nicest thing to listen to while trying to eat breakfast. I felt for the woman, sort of because she had brought this on herself; should've used protection. Not for the first time I wondered if I was going to have to go on a werewolf hunt.

Those thoughts were pushed away as Aunt Andy hugged me to her and apperated away to Digaon Alley. Lord Potter was waiting outside for us and looked much better in the light of day than he had the previous night. The man looked dreadfully out of place with his dark brown leather western duster and bright white cowboy hat. I'm not sure if that's how he normally dressed or if he was playing up the stereotype of all Americans being cowboys.

"Good morning, ladies," he dipped his hat to Aunt Andy and myself. "How ya doing this fine morning?"

"Quite well," Aunt Andy smiled at the man. "You prepared for this Archie?" I was shocked to hear the man's first name…I'd almost forgot he hand one. Guess he wasn't born 'Lord Potter' was he?

Lord Potter shrugged. "About as well as I can be. I'm anxious as all get out, though. Just wondering where that little darlin' got too," he admitted as he pushed his hat back.

As it turned out, 'that little darlin'' was in France. Griphook had frowned at the accounts at we could now fully talk about and view. First withdrawal had been made in 1988 in Montreal, Canada and the most recent activity had come from Champ Doré in south France. Aunt Andy got the most peculiar look on her face.

"I know who we have to talk to!" she announced and blinked at the goblin across the desk from us. "Thank you, Master Griphook. You've been ever so helpful."

The goblin just blinked at my aunt and nodded like he really didn't care if he'd been helpful or not. He was nice, though, as we left his office. Aunt Andy told us that we needed to hop a portkey to France; not that that was surprising but that fact she wanted to go to the French Ministry that had me confused. I thought all portkey transports were ministry to ministry.

**A**

Going from the British Ministry of Magic to the French Ministry of Magic was trippy. One moment everything was doom and gloom and the next it was like stepping into the romantic era before Louie lost his head. I was glad for my sunglasses as the whole place was filled with natural light through large windows. The place was beautiful and could be forgiven for the overabundance of blue.

I happily let Aunt Andy take the lead again as the dinner plate that had taken us here was handed over to a very polite witch. Lord Potter had the same happily, awe inspired look on his face as I did as we took in the work of art the French worked in every day. I snapped out of the daze when I saw a department sign that read 'Foreign Relations Office'.

Aunt Andy smiled at the receptionist that guarded the gate to the office. "Could we please see Madame Delacour?" she asked and I wondered what Nym's courtly flower had to do with this. "We don't have an appointment but it's about a family matter involving her daughters. With me are Lady Athena Black of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black and Lord Archibald Potter of the Most Noble House of Potter and I'm Andromeda Tonks nee' Black, Proxy for Lady Black."

The receptionists eyed our little group questioningly before picking her up reddish colored wand and tapped it against a tall stake of blank paper. Words were scribbled onto the sheet before it folded itself into a little bird like creature and flapped…flittered more like…into the busy office beyond. I watched it until it vanished around the corner.

I'd just taken off my sunglasses and the fedora, stowing the glasses away in an inner pocket, when a shorter woman with almost glowing blonde hair rushed out of the office; I knew right away that she was a mated Veela by the way I got this happy, friendly feeling from her despite the worry on her face. Her shimmering blue eyes totally ignored Lord Potter and myself as she locked her gaze on my aunt.

" _Mon dieu_! Andy, what haz happened?" the woman demanded, sounding frightened. "Haz something happened to Nym?" interesting to note that this Madame Delacour already considered Nym part of her family.

Aunt Andy was quick to dissuade the woman's fear. "No, no, Nym's fine, I promise."

Madame Delacour let out a shuddering sigh and put her hand to her chest. "Do not scare me like that, Andy. I feel like I have lost ten years off my life thankz to that _petite frayeur_!" the small woman took a long breath and then let it out; her demeanor much happier now. "If you are not here about Nym, then what are you here for, I wonder?" her eyes drifting to me and Lord Potter.

"Can we go somewhere private?" Aunt Andy implored.

**A**

Apolline Delacour's studying stare was unnerving. She'd been staring at me since she realized who I was, that I was the Knight that'd met her ancestors. Her eyes lingered on the scar on my chin and I had to fight the urge to duck my head. We were in her rather spacious office in very nice but not so padded chairs.

"So, you want me to believe thaz my foster-daughter is ze long lost daughter of James Potter and Sirius Black…who is now a woman?" Apolline asked shifting her gaze back to Aunt Andy. "That she was hidden away and only now you are able to find her with blood magic on an old bed sheet?"

"No, ma'am," I shook my head. "It was blood magic on a piece of canvas. Big difference, just for the record." I ignored my aunt's glare at the side of my head. "And, also, we've a name of Lindsey Clarke and that her Gringotts account which is still attached to the Black vaults and Potter vaults was accessed from Champ Doré within the last week. I, honestly, don't know if your Lindsey is the same as our Lindsey but there are ways to find out; if you amenable." I shrugged and sat back in my chair with my hat on my knee. "If they are the same then there are several people who are very eager to meet her. Madame, if the Potter parents hadn't died then when Voldemort was stopped, they would have gone to find her."

Apolline scowled at me. "You 'ave have no fear of his name?"

"Why should I?" I asked dumbly. "He's real name was Tom Riddle Jr. and he's a half blood and through a series of outlandish events, I've hit him in the face with a rock twice. I've met far scarier monsters than that wannabe."

The veela woman just scoffed and waggled her finger at me. "You should not scoff at monsters, child."

"There is only one monster that scares me, Madame, and it's not Tom Riddle. Now, can we please get back to the business at hand?" I asked, now I was ignoring Lord Potter's curious gaze. "We mean Lindsey no harm; she's family and family is everything. A simple test is all we ask, though, I think we all know the result."

Apolline looked to my aunt. "How sure are you that thiz wall hanging is correct?"

"Very, Apolline." Aunt Andy confided. "How many girls are out there named Lindsey Elizabeth Clarke, born on the 20th of March, 1977? Having turned eleven in Canada and then moved here to France to attend Beauxbatons as her last withdrawal came from the branch there?"

After a long while, Madame Delacour scowled and then nodded. "Fine, but if Lindsey does not like what you are telling her, you will leave her be."

"Of course," Lord Potter said quickly. "As long as she gets the information then that's all we can ask. Whether she wants to take up the opportunity to go further with it is up to her."

**A**

Champ Doré was a quint village like Hogsmeade but much more colorful and lively. Think Brothers Grimm vs. Willy Wonka. Or even the Wizard of Oz after Dorothy gets to Oz with her little dog too. *insert evil, cliché witch's cackle here*

There were flowers everywhere, the buildings were brightly painted and everyone just seemed a little more animated. I have to say there was certainly more laughter to be had in the little café that Apolline led us to through the floo; it had an easy name so that Lord Potter wouldn't get lost and wind up in Serbia with the way he was trying to wrap his lips around the French words. I'm not French but I was slightly offended by the way he was butchering the vowels.

After vanishing the ash and soot from my clothes and hat; I put the sunglasses back on and followed outside. Champ Doré sat in a wide sweeping valley just off center of the Pyrenees Mountains; though I'm sure if they farted the wrong way they'd wind up in Spain. The sun was out and it was warm which was weird because mountainous areas aren't supposed to be warm.

It was only a short walk from the café to the entrance gates of Beauxbatons where a small fleet of carriages were waiting. Beyond the gates was vast grounds, scattered fountains and sculpted hedges. The carriages housed in a large building reminiscent of stables and were manned back creatures who looked a lot like wood nymphs; skinny but tall with wild air, pointy ears and neon colored eyes.

Apolline spoke to a nymph dressed in very brightly colored and very outdated clothes; like what I got used to seeing with the frock coats and britches but fancier and more colors. When the rapid fired French had stopped the nymph nodded and snapped his fingers. A horses-less carriage came forth, no threstral this time, and the nymph opened the carriage door and held out a hand to help Apolline into the compartment.

Aunt Andy sat next to the Madame Delacour and I sat next to Lord Potter and stared out the window at the ornate grounds. The designs were stuck era before the Reign of Terror. Not saying that it wasn't pretty to look at but the wizarding world had trouble giving things up than a miser with his last coin.

My point was proving by the **massive** sweeping, east facing chateau with a brightly painted façade, wrought iron balconies and gold gilded decorations of little cherubs (not the real ones but the babies in diapers), mythical animals with witches and wizards tossed in with wands drawn. The slate roof had been spelled blue and I doubt the windows had ever been dirty. Hogwarts looked like the outcast cousin in comparison.

My palm prickled at the sheer amount of magic that permutated the air as the carriage rolled up a twisting path towards. Lord Potter gasped in awe, the noise shaken loose when the carriage stopped short of red marble stairs. The knights in my head were muttering that the chateau had been remolded to mimic the Palace of Versailles after the death of King Louis XIV. The only difference was the size as Beauxbatons was easily four times the size of the palace she was modeled after.

A little house elf in a blue silk tea towel with the Beauxbatons crest on the shoulder greeted us after a wood nymph let us out of the carriage. There was no nervousness about the elf as he held out eyes and announced that he was to take us Madame Maxime. I noticed that the wood nymph didn't enter the building.

I took off my fedora and shrunk it down so that it could be stowed away with my sunglasses. Once again thankful that Jubilee had given me a haircut before breakfast this morning as I ran a hand through it to work out the shoulder length mop. Just a trim because it was starting to curl with how often I was putting in braids and the length gotten to be too much for me. However, it was still long enough for even the elaborate braids that Elise and Branwen had taught me if I was careful and paid attention.

**A**

Madame Maxime was thoroughly shocked to see the gathered group before her, it was written all over her face. The little house elf had handed us off to the Headmistress's secretary, who had us wait for ten minutes in the little lobby where her desk sat protecting the Headmistress's office door. A little light on her desk lite up and the witch, in a bored tone, told us that Madame Maxime would see us now.

"Madame Apolline, Lady Black, Madame Tonks," Maxime frowned as we filed into her office. "What is ze meaning of this?"

I just grinned as Apolline launched into the story before we even had the chance to sit down. Lord Potter's look of confusion was predictably funny. I sighed softly and look around the office; it was so much warmer than Dumbledore's and brighter too.

There were windows galore, painted in soft warm colors and was vacant of trinkets and portraits of the prior headmasters. I was brought out of my inspection of the balcony doors when Aunt Andy nudged me. Everyone was looking at me.

"Lady Black," Maxime pulled my attention to her. "Is eet true that a member of your House goes to my school?"

I nodded and then reached for an inner pocket, not the one with my hat and glasses. "Yes, it is and I prove it with this!" I cried happily and produced a small crystal orb the size of a snitch. "This is what the goblins use to confirm blood heir…that their really related. Master Griphook lent this to me as we were leaving Gringotts." I handed it over to the headmistress. "For now it's blank, you can check. To activate it, it just requires a drop of blood from either myself or Lord Potter. The blood will be absorbed and then whomever is related to us will have it glow for their touch."

Apolline took the crystal from Maxime. "I am quite…familiar with thiz identifier," she admitted. "We use eet to make sure that ze ambassadors are who they say they are. Eet is not fooled by anythinz like polyjuice or advanced magicks."

Maxime nodded before the very tall woman went back to her desk. She pushed a button and spoke to her secretary. Maxime was asking for both Fleur and Lindsey to be summoned to her office and she asked for refreshment to be severed as well. Then she pointed us to a little sitting area.

"Oh, Madame Maxime, I was wondering," now seemed like a good time to ask, at least I thought it was, "if Dumbledore had let you know that Quidditch is back on for the year and that we're having a tournament of schools…so to speak."

Maxime frowned as we sat down. "Non, he did not."

I tried not to scowl, keeping myself neutral. "Hmm…well, that's a shame but it's very true. It will be the three schools vs. the Hogwarts houses, doing a points system, two hour time limit with ties possible and school champions cannot compete." I paused to take a breath. "Dimitri and I, the other Knight at Hogwarts, plus several of the teachers thought it was unfair that the games be canceled when there are only several tasks for the year and it allows Ilvermorny to compete as well."

Maxime grinned and was not startled by the pair of house elves who popped in with trays of tea and cookies; they started severing the tea unbidden. "I think I like this idea," the giantess said waggling a finger at me. "You seem much different from ze last thaz we talked, Lady Black."

"I feel better," I told her, ignoring the questioning looks from Lord Potter and Apolline. "I've also had time to collect myself; which, honestly, makes all the difference. So, will we see a Beauxbatons Quidditch team?"

"Oui!" Maxime nodded, her eyes twinkling merrily. "And I think that I will have to tell ze other heads of schools too."

I bowed my head to her. "Thank you, also…um…will you be having a chance in uniform?" I asked and the woman looked confused, as did everyone else. "I-I mean, I saw some of your students in the hallways and while you have pretty uniforms, well…I'm afraid they might not be enough to stand to the cold of Hogwarts." This was an honest concern. "It gets really nippy at the castle and your kids were wearing silk. I mean, they could use warming charms but…" I let the concern linger.

Maxime frowned. "I had not thought of that," she confessed darkly.

"Clan Delacour would be 'appy to help with ze outfitting if you wish, Olympe," Apolline offered. " _Mes filles_ will be needing ze clothing anyways and eet would be our 'onor to help any way we can."

That please the French headmistress because she beamed happily to be presented with a solution so quickly for a problem. Lord Potter and Aunt Andy offered to help as well for fostering international relations; plus because of Lindsey. I was happily munching on the cookies the pleased little elf keep feeding me; there were several flavors and I was just as content to play taste tester.

**A**

I was feeling very pleased with myself and had cheeks like a chipmunk when Fleur and Lindsey arrived. Aunt Andy rolled her eyes at me as the other two women noticed and chuckled when the elder Black woman vanished the crumbs from my coat; the elf wiggled his ears in guilty anxiousness and popped away before he could be scolded.

When the two girls were shown into the office it was funny. They'd stopped just inside the doors and gaped at the gathered group. Fleur was the only one who looked surprised at me as Lindsey had just kept looking between Maxime and Apolline.

"Mama Apolline, I swear it wasn't me. That kid is a liar!" Lindsey blurted and blushed.

I threw my head back laughing. "Oh, divines, someone has a guilty conscious."

Lindsey straightened up and scowled at me. "No, I just know what a certain little…err…boy has a big mouth and no love for me is all."

"Oh," I said stood from my chair, "is that the case? Well, then I say, good on you for being proactive, just try not to look guilty as your proclaiming your innocence. You might be more believable that way."

Lindsey scowl deepened and Fleur cut her off by asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm Athena Black," I bowed my head to the very shocked pair, "and it seems that you lot have meet my friends over the summer, no? If I'm not mistaken, your Nym's courtly flower that she blushes and gushes about, hmm? Fleur, yes?" that got a smirk of mirth out of Apolline as Fleur blushed from her collar to her ear tips. I smiled at her before looking to Lindsey, who was laughing at her friend. "Now, you, my dear Lindsey, are why we're here. Let me introduce first, Andromeda Tonks nee' Black, Proxy-Lady to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Beside her, with the cowboy hat, is Lord Archibald Potter of the Most Noble House of Potter."

Lindsey's eyes went wide at the dropping of the names. Her eyes narrowed though, after she and Fleur had joined out group in sitting and Aunt Andy told why we had come to her school. I saw the spark of anger in her eyes as she learned about her biological parents and I don't think it was because Sirius was transgendered; I think it was more to do with them giving her up with the way her eyes flashed at the mention of the unsigned letters with the Gringotts account.

"We can prove it," Lord Potter offered and pointed to the orb sitting next to the teapot. "A Gringotts inheritance test."

Lindsey scoffed and threw herself back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. "That's not needed, I believe you." She admitted and asked, "by why now? Why after all this time? I have parents you know, well…had but they gave me up too. Why should I come back to the first set of parents who gave me up?"

"James Potter is dead," I told her bluntly and Aunt Andy smacked me as Lindsey's face fell, "you've met his son though. Harry?"

That got Lindsey's attention. "Harry's…little Harry is my brother?" she asked in disbelief.

I nodded and continued to ignore my aunt. "Sirius was in Azkaban for twelve years, if you didn't know. He escaped last year, and truthfully you could call her a selfish asshole. However, one thing I've learned and I constantly tell this to Harry, is that everyone has a reason for everything. You were given up, Lindsey, because the Black family, generation before Aunt Andy here, were bastards and as dark as our name." I explained, didn't feel like sugarcoating this whatsoever. "They would have taken you if Sirius and James would have kept you and they would have killed your parents. Potters refused the title of Most Noble and Ancient, which puts them on the same level of blood traitors to some. Sirius was supposed to be the next Lord Black even though it was his uncle who held the title because he was the eldest male child; becoming a girl and having a child defeats the propose of carrying on the family name. You were born Lindsey Seren Potter." That name didn't seem to surprise Lindsey, must have been in one of the letters…at least the first and middle names. "You would have been raised by Walburga Black, and trust me she was a piece of work; so totally burned her portrait of the wall." Aunt Andy nodded adamantly in agreement though I'm not sure if it was because I did burn the portrait or about her aunt. "Walburga was Sirius's mother and she would have murdered her own son because of his indiscretion. According to Sirius, if he and James could have, they would have run away but they were teenagers. Just about the same age as you and me."

Lindsey snorted as she glared at me. "Are you trying to talk up your family or not?"

"The family has changed. Never will it be that way again while I am Lady Black," I told her evenly. I saw her shudder at the power and conviction in my tone.

Lord Potter offered his input then too. "You don't have to accept us, Lindsey, unless you want to, I promise. We just want to give you the chance to know where you come from, offer you the perks that come with being in the family and be with your family." He winked at her then. "There are some good things we've got going and we'll even welcome the family you've made for yourself here."

The girl shagged into her chair and shook her head. Lindsey was struggling to not to cry; Fleur was holding her hand. Everyone jumped when the door to the office burst open and the frightened secretary nearly fell through the doors.

"Ze town is being attacked by minotaurs!" she cried.

I threw up my hands. "Just once I'd like to go somewhere without having something go wrong!" I cried and looked to Aunt Andy is I got up from my chair. "Is that too much to ask?"

"What are you doing?" Lord Potter demanded, he'd risen from his chair to stop me I think, as I went to the balcony door and opened them.

I rolled my eyes at him, my stomach rumbling a little in regret of those cookies. "What'd ye think? I'm going ta ask them ta dinner, anything else would be rude. Geez…"

With a sigh, I jumped to the railing and ignored the cries behind me as I stood there for a second. Then I jumped and shifted to my hawk form. I was trying to remember if Fraser had ever faced bull-men before…none of the Knights ever had. This was going to interesting.

**A**

Well, the secretary wasn't wrong; there were minotaurs in Champ Doré and they were making a mess of the place. There were two of them in full battle armor hefting double headed axes because apparently their size and razor sharp horns weren't scary enough. Shop fronts were demolished and the pretty planters destroyed with mauled flowers and dirt scattered about. People were hiding, cowering in the back of shops.

I did a sweep of the village, to see if the minotaurs were alone, before gaining some altitude in preparation for another cannonball; that sounding better than calling it a battering ram. What I hadn't anticipation was the fact that hitting the bull-man was precisely like running headlong into a brick wall. It hurt and accomplished nothing but putting me on my backside while the minotaur I'd hit looked confused; saving grace was that I was wearing my armor.

The minotaur, Uno, grunted unhappily and turned to the other minotaur, Dos, and hit him with the face of his axe (the flat side). This knocked Dos backward a few steps and caused him to roar unhappily; would have been funny if I hadn't been right under their feet. I quickly rolled away and drew my wand.

Regretted when my stunning spell bounced off the armored chest of Uno. He snarled as the spell took out a bakery window. He slowly looked back to me and roared. That got the attention of Dos and they both rushed me. I panicked for a second before casting the rusted color spell that wrapped Uno up in thick chains that attach anchors to ships. He fell sideways and could do nothing under the weight of the chain.

Dos, on the other hand, punted me like I was a football. I'd been kneeling down and his metal booted foot connected with my shield and picked me up off the ground. The force of it tossed me a good twenty feet, I lost both my shield and my wand; the shield dematerialized and the yew wand rolled under an overturned carriage.

For the record, minotaurs are very quick on their feet. He had me by my tabard before I was even picking myself up; the bastard smashed his head into mine and though my helm had took the brunt of the hit I still saw stars. The HUD on my helm cracked like it was glass and the crack spread as Dos started bashing his fist against my head. He roared in triumph when my helm started and dematerialized; now he was free to punch my face.

He got me twice, south paw was he with power of a Mack truck in his arms. Split my cheek and I tasted blood in my mouth when I drew my dirk and put it through his wrist in the space between the end of his vambrace and his hand. Dos screamed in pain when I twisted the blade unmercifully.

Dos threw me away from him, I grunted and the air was driven out of me when I struck the side of a half demolished red brick planter. My ribs were thanking me for that; heavily bruised but not broke. I spat tangy blood and summoned Excalibur and my wand, both coming to either hand; Dos had reached the end of my patience.

Casting with my left hand was weird but I cast the brightest lumos possible in Dos's face. He cried out and swatted the ball of light as he stumbled backwards; he was blinking his eyes rapidly trying to clear them. I stashed my wand so I could use both hands and sprinted, lunching myself off a large wooden horse's head that'd been part of a store front.

Excalibur started to glow and cut through Dos's bone, flesh and armor; took his arms and his head. His body and separated parts hit the ground with a heavy thud and blood spilled soaking the street. French aurors started popping in as the extra-large carriage from the school zoomed down the broken street.

I sat down heavily on that planter that tried to break my side and let Excalibur go as I watched the auror take Uno into custody. They stripped him of his chains and armor and I felt my heart turn to ice. I was up and sprinting over.

"Wait!" I cried as they were putting him in enchanted shackles.

" _Miss, I need you to back away._ " a female Auror, speaking French that I understood, stopped me as I tried to near.

"I am Sir Lancelot of Camelot," I snarled and shoved her aside. Not sure that meant anything to them but it was enough make the aurors hesitate and I pressed forward.

There on the left peck of the bull-man was the last thing I ever thought to see. Burned into his skin was the Mark of the Fallen; a crest of a shield with an armored fist that had an X on the back of the fist. It's once been the standard of the King of Rheged. An uncontrollable rage and the feeling of betrayal, the anger familiar if I'm being honest, rolled over my shoulders and set my blood to boiling.

I used magic to tear the mark from Uno's skin, from his screams one would have thought I was skinning him alive. Uno passed out and took several aurors with him as he crumpled. The Mark of the Fallen hovered there in mid-air looking as if it were made from fire. With my free hand I summoned a fallen brick and placed the Mark upon the stone; the Mark's power lost to the non-organic material.

"What iz the meaning of thiz?" the auror that I shoved demanded, Maxime and the rest appearing.

Apolline gasped when she sat the brick in my hand. "Thaz iz the Mark of ze Fallen!"

"Madam Delacour?" the female auror looked confused and surprised to see the ministry official.

"This wasn't a random attack," I growled out and gave the auror the brick as I headed for Duo's body.

I heard Apolline stop the auror from having me detained so that I could explain what I meant by that statement. After retrieving my dirk, I used it to cut Duo's breastplate away by going after the buckles on the sides and at the shoulder. There on his left peck, just like Uno, was another Mark of the Fallen. This one had died with Duo.

"What iz that?" the unnamed auror demanded, looking back and forth between the brick in her hand and the mark on the dead creature.

I shoved the voices in my head away, shoving as hard as I could so that I could think on my own and so I could answer. "It is the standard of a group of terrorists that have been around since the time of Merlin," I explained. "The Mark gives the caster of it power over whatever creature they put the Mark on. Makes them a thrall, a mindless weapon."

"I 'ave not 'eard of this group…The Fallen?" the auror argued.

Apolline frowned. "I doubt you 'ave, Auror Dubois. They 'ave not been 'eard from in near three hundred years."

I sat down hard on the planter, my head spinning unpleasantly. Oh, they'd been busy just not taking credit for what they'd done, I'm sure. This was bad and meant there was a Champion Rheged active; one of Morgan Le Fay's little minions running amuck. There were truly dark tidings on the horizon.

**A**

Auror Dubois was not a fan of mine as I couldn't give her any more information than who the Mark belonged to and that I hadn't been in Champ Doré when the attack had started. Just like them, I'd come to help and luckily the only casualties had been property damages. Divines know what could have happened in that five minutes it took them to arrive that I was getting beat on like a traditional hide drum.

Madame Maxime ushered me into her personal carriage once she determined the questioning to be over so that she could return me to her school. Her school Healer was waiting there, to be called if he was needed into the town. I was still in my armor and was slightly afraid to change back because I really didn't want to see the bruises I'd incurred.

Lord Potter was not pleased and kept glaring at me. I'm not sure he realized exactly who I'd become or that he was truly insulted by what I'd told him before jumping off the balcony. Madame Maxime was giving the man a curious look as he was glaring at me.

"Yes, Lord Potter?" I asked having enough of his staring as we reached the half point to road back to the château.

He scowled. "You are a child," he said. "You should not be playing dress up with swords and taking on creatures at should be left to trained professionals."

I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry ya think tha' my friend," I answered, that Scottish burr back. "However, the world dunna turn with your sensibilities and morals. Magic cares not whom it takes just as long as they've a hand ta hold a wand."

"Does your grandmother know about this?" he demanded to know pointing at my blooded tabard.

"Aye, she does as she seen it a-fore." I pointed out; that only seemed to upset him.

He glared at Aunt Andy. "You're her guardian, you should put a stop to this before the girl get herself killed."

Aunt Andy just shook her head. "Athena's lot has been cast, Lord Potter," she said, putting emphasis on his title. "There's nothing I can do to change it so I'll do what I can to help her through."

Lord Potter only gaped at my Aunt. "How could you think like that?" he snarled at her and pointed at me. "She's but a child and she shouldn't be put in danger like this."

"Lad, if ye don't stop point tha' finger at me," I warned him, "be prepared ta lose it and the hand to which it is attached. Ya knowing of what I've been through or the responsibilities that's been put on me so kindly like ta keep your judgments to yerself."

I wasn't feeling up to this argument and my face was starting to hurt. Maxime was the one who ended Lord Potter's ire with a stern look and letting her magic loose like an aura that was sure to suffocate us all. When we did reach her school, Fleur and Lindsey were anxiously waiting by the front steps.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone for their condolences, they mean a lot. I'm not sure when chapter eight will done. This chapter was the first to be written after…well, ya know…and I think it sort of reflects that in the fact that I was so tired when I started to write that there was a giddiness there. Also, my original work is a 3** **rd** **person POV like Hermione's are and switching back and forth is to 1** **st** **person…weird.**

 **Also, sea shanties are freaking awesome. I'm not sure why I started listening to them on Youtube but they're fun.**

 **As always…me no own Harry The Potter.**

Chapter Seven: No Right Answers…

I'm not sure I've ever seen a man as mad as Lord Potter when Madame Maxime asked him to leave her school. He'd worked up quite the head of steam and as he'd say, 'was mad enough to eat horseshoes and spit nails' over the fact that I stepped into the fight with the bull-headed-men. Honestly, the man didn't seem to quite get the owl on exactly what'd happened over the summer other than him getting a new last name.

It was quite amusing, not that I'm supposed to admit this, to watch Maxime grab up Harry's uncle by his collar and the belt around his waist and chuck into through the green flames of her office fireplace. I'm pretty sure she sent him to the British Ministry, or maybe Dumbledore's office…or that school in Africa. She was quite mad in her own right and I couldn't understand what she'd shouted; I just hope the fireplace had.

Not sure I want to tell Harry we lost his uncle on a peaceful mission to France. Got a sister but lost an uncle. I'm not sure the boy would ever recover and then I'd have Luna after me. I was contemplating where on Earth I could hide from that girl when Aunt Andy nudged me.

"You sure you're alright, Athena?" she asked worriedly, this after I'd been seen to by the strange healer man Maxime kept in her infirmary.

I nodded. "Oh, I'm fantastic. Not every day you fight minotaurs and watch a man get through into a fireplace. Meh…" I shrugged and tried to repress a yawn. "So, now what? We came, we saw and told, and then broke half the town. Only thing that would have made this complete was the obscure happenings to a Hogwarts DADA professor that I may or may not have had a hand in…or not."

Madame Maxime made to respond but stopped when Aunt Andy slowly nodded. "Eet cannot be thaz bad," she asked sounding almost hopeful.

I shrugged. "It's on my list of things to fix. Any-who…" I looked to Lindsey, who looked lost in thought, "hey, sugar plum, you got any thoughts or questions before this bandwagon of fun merriment and scenic tours heads back, we were supposed to only have the S.S. Minnow out for three hours."

Lindsey and Aunt Andy smirked knowingly while the French witches looked confused. "Yeah," Lindsey nodded slowly, glancing at Fleur before continuing, "Do you think it'd be alright if I wrote to Sirius? Would he…she," she corrected herself, "Would she welcome a letter from me?"

Aunt Andy nodded quickly. "Yes, she would. You've no idea how weird that is to say but even weirder is that it's strangely fitting. Lindsey…" Aunt Andy paused and sighed heavily. She seemed to need a minute to sort out what she wanted to say. "Sirius has been many things over the course of her life but I've never seen her more serious, no pun there this time, than when it came to finding you. I think a letter from you would do the…woman a world of good. However, don't do it for Sirius, do it for yourself. If you're not ready, then don't."

I smirked, tired-me is a dork, "and if you do want to become a Black we've gift bags waiting. You get a decoder ring, the Black Mask of Dark Hues, and…not many get this," I whispered loudly, "but you also get a life time subscription to the family newsletter…I promise that the first several issues won't be varying prison records."

Aunt Andy clamped a hand over my mouth. "That's enough out of you, young lady!" she gave me a pointed looked as I frowned up at her. "Lick me and I will stick your tongue to the top of your mouth for a full month!"

My eyebrows shot up and…I stopped myself from what I was about to do. Apolline snickered from beside us. I grumbled and folded my arms across my chest. A nap sounded really good right about now, like really nice.

"I promise you, we're sane." Aunt Andy sounded almost convincing.

**A**

My nap came when we returned to Grimmauld Place, after I'd gotten Aunt Andy and Aunt Cissy to pry Sirius off me. I'd given her the letter that Lindsey had written quickly before we'd left. I didn't care that Sirius was now of the female persuasion, I'd been going to punch her in the face if she hadn't let go; only thing that saved her was that she was pregnant. There's something inherently wrong with punching a pregnant woman.

That nap had lasted all of two hours when Nym was shaking my shoulder. She needed me at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I couldn't quite catch why I was needed because I was too busy trying to pry my eyelids open; the open mechanize on them seemed to misfiring or whatever.

I was grumbling as I pulled my boots back on and stumbled after my cousin. Nym took pity on me and helped me put my vest back on; I couldn't quite figure out why I couldn't get my arm through the other side and had been chasing it the way a dog does with its tail. She then made sure that my wand was at my wrist and deemed me ready to go; it was a good then I'd fallen asleep in my clothes because I think pants would have been beyond my ken.

Nym apperated us to her apartment first; saying I needed a coffee run before dealing with what was waiting for me. I frowned at her but followed anyways to a quaint little shop just around the corner from her building. She even got me a pastry.

With that pastry happily in hand and an almost drinkable coffee in the other, I happily followed Nym towards a visitor's entrance to the ministry; they were scattered all over London to avoid overuse. I nearly panicked when the telephone box started lowering into the ground, there should have been instructions before moving parts started moving…just saying. Nym was way too amuse by my plight.

I was generally more awake when we arrived at the DMLE where Kingsley Shacklebolt was waiting near the lift. The overly tall man wore a deep frown and Nym looked apologetically at him. She quickly explained what had taken so long. His response was an eye roll and gruff command to follow him.

"Why exactly am I here?" I asked after we'd passed by the bull pen and Madam Bones's office. "I was having a very nice nap, you know, with dreams and everything."

Auror Shacklebolt smirked as he looked over at me. "Sorry, Lady Black, but this pertains, I should think, to Black house business."

I started counting on my fingers who could be in trouble and people weren't quite panicked enough for my mother to have escaped. They proved that by the storming of Gringotts. Thus I was left befuddled.

"Weren't me!" Nym cried when I looked to her, she grabbed onto my arm when she tripped herself. I held her up until she found her feet. "Thanks, little cousin, but this weren't me, swear to Merlin's short pants. This is more of a werewolf problem."

I frowned as the realization dawned on me. "Okay…so can we cut the cryptic shite and you lot can tell me exactly why Lupin's here?"

"Because," Madam Bones called standing just to the side of a large plate glass window. Her arms folded across her chest, "he got drunk and about tore up The Leaky Cauldron in human form trying to smash in Lucius Malfoy's face?"

"So, he was doing a public service but incurred property damage?" I asked and Madam Bones smacked me upside the head.

She pinched the end of my nose and glared at me. "He broke half a dozen laws and is looking at serious time in Azkaban without a proper barrister. He is a registered magical creature and the laws are harsher for him. Getting drunk and starting a fight that nearly kills a man is a capital offence given his enhanced abilities."

"Oh," my voice changed because of my pinched nose. "So I should send for Uncle Ted?" Madam Bones nodded and then nodded again when I asked, "Can I talk to Lupin?"

**A**

Lupin was disheveled. His normally neatly combed hair was sticking up in all directions worse than Harry's on a bad day, his mustache was even ruffled. I had to wonder if he'd gone nose blind to the stench coming off his own clothes because they were foul with body order and stout drink. The man-wolf didn't even look up when the door was open, he didn't even care about the tear that leaked down his cheek.

"Well," I said as I sat down across from him at the stainless steel table he was at, "I'm going to say that you've had better days, Professor."

Lupin chuckled sardonically. "I'm no longer a professor, Miss…sorry, Lady Black, isn't it?" he asked, staring down at the dried blood on his hands. "Haven't been a professor for a while. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused that night."

I shrugged. "What happened, happened. If different choices had been made then things would have turned out differently and I'm just as much to blame as you or Sirius." He looked up sharply at that. "I knew better than to run and make myself prey but I forgot everything that Fraser had taught me in that moment as I watched Pettigrew become a rat and run away. I could have escaped your wolf if I remembered how to use my wand or that I could transform into a frigging bird and fly away but I didn't. Sirius could have told us about the rat to being with, so see…not everything is on the wolf."

Lupin considered that a moment before nodding. Another tear leaked down the side of his face and I watched his Adam's Apple bob twice. I let him have a moment to compose himself.

"You are in some hefty trouble, Remus Lupin and I'm not talking about you knocking up my cousin," I stated bluntly. Lupin turned red and ducked his head, he was either shy or ashamed I couldn't tell. "So, I'm going to ask and if I hear any self-deprecation, you won't make it to Azkaban…do you understand?" he nodded meekly at the threat. "Good, now, do you love Sirius?"

"Yes." He confessed, still not looking at me.

That was irksome but I wasn't about to force the man to look up. "Do you want to be a father to her child?" he nodded and that made me livid. "Speak up, damn you! Have a goddamned backbone, you cowardly dog! Why should I put House Black out on a limb when you're too much of bleeding, simpering worm to man up and be with Sirius?"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT WORTHY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I've no job, no prospects and will never gain any with the way that laws are! What've I to give Sirius and our offspring?"

That was more like it! "A father and a husband, ya numpty!" I hissed at him. "Sirius has not a care about money. She doesn't need you to be a provider. My cousin needs you to be her partner and help her through this. This pregnancy is dragging up so many memories from the last time she was pregnant!"

Lupin went ashen and he sat back in his chair. "Sirius…she told you about that?" he asked dumbly. "About her and James?"

I nodded. "Yea, and I've already found their daughter. I'm not going to tell you, Sirius can do that if she wants. So…what's it going to be? Should I thrash you for being self-deprecating like I promised or do I send for Uncle Ted to find you a way out of this mess that you've put yourself?"

Lupin gulped hard. "I-I…I want to be a father," he said, his tone so lowly that I nearly didn't hear him.

I rapped my knuckles on the table and nodded. "Good, because I really would have thrashed you to within an inch of your life. I'm not in that good of mood, haven't been for several days. You've chosen wisely, Remus Lupin."

I really wasn't kidding and Lupin seemed to shrink in on himself. Now I was going to find Uncle Ted, let this be his headache and I was going to finish my frigging nap. Let those be warned about interrupting it for anything less than Hermione or the end of world. Fighting minotaurs sucks.

**A**

I didn't get my nap when I returned to Grimmauld and I couldn't exactly enact my wrath upon the person responsible. All Kreacher had to do to make me follow him was look pleadingly at me, dinner was ready and the household present was just waiting on me to start. Cute little elf eyes totally sucked the heat out of my temper and made me feel guilty for even thinking about refusing.

"So, what did Nym want?" Sirius asked when I threw myself on to the bench across from her and next to Aunt Cissy.

I growled at her, not threateningly just in irritation at being talked to because I didn't feel being sociable. "Your stupid, hairy, stinky, and cowardly werewolf got himself arrested for being dumb, drunk, punchy and an all-around nuisance. On a happy note," I looked to Aunt Cissy, "seems that someone took offence to your ex-husband's face and tried to rearrange it for him. Free of charge too."

Both woman frowned at me. "Why do I get the feeling the two are related?" Aunt Cissy asked wearily.

I shrugged. "Because they were and I'm starting to think that being Head of House is similar to having a job herding cats. That or I'm missing Hermione. She'd tell me that I'm just sleep derived and that I'm being a ham. Also, obnoxious and that I should stop talking and worrying too much, breathe and then eat. Certainly she'd hug me and then demand to know if I'd finished my homework. Is it dumb to worry about homework and fear my girlfriend more than the teachers to whom I owe the homework?"

Again, both women frowned at me but there was a lot more blinking this time. I grumbled at their unhelpfulness. It was just best to go to the source of comfort and that source was at Hogwarts. Shaking my head, I stood from the bench and headed for the living room and the floo that was there.

In a flash of green flames I entered Gran's office and found it empty. I guess it was dinner time and everyone should be in the Great Hall. Well, that was just fantastic!

Not sure that anyone realized I'd arrived in the middle of dinner, not even when I sat down next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. Everyone was too busy watching Icarus playing with a chicken leg. He was wrapped around it and rolling around on the table top whilst attacking the meaty part of the leg.

Hermione about reached the roof when I scowled and stated grumpily, "that's about the same table manners as St. Weasley, look," I pointed to Ron who's mouth was stuffed too full to close. "It's quite appalling really. Sort of like some kind of train wreak that you just can't quite look away from but the carnage turns your stomach. I think Mrs. Weasley sort of gave up by the time that Ron came along. Ginny, I'm sure, wishes most days that she was adopted rather than admit to any sane person that she's related to that monster of a mouth." I shook my head, everyone, including the grouping of Weasleys, were staring at me. "I'm starting to think that his mouth is either charmed with an expansion charm-thingy or should be a modern day marvel. Have you seen how much he can stuff in there? I'm afraid for any small and curious child that comes close to him when he gets to eating. Poor thing might vanish into that abyss and I'm not sure that he'd know the difference."

"HEY!" Ron cried in protest and Neville bore the brunt as Ron's food came flying out of his mouth.

"ATHENA!" Hermione cried happily as Neville swore, wiped his face off and leapt over the table and tackled Ronald to the ground. I'm sure he was going to throttle him if Harry and the Weasley twins hadn't gone to the rescue; Ginny was useless because she was laughing too hard.

I sighed happily and ignored the boys as Hermione threw her arms around my neck. Our magicks racing to each other and I felt like I'd come home. The tension in my shoulder eased considerably and though I was still tired, I wasn't quite as grumpy.

Hermione kissed my cheek as she leaned back away from me. Icarus took up the spot where she'd been, circling around my neck until he was wrapped around like living scarf. He looked back up at me with simmering bronze eyes.

" _Momma, momma, momma,_ " he chanted happily as he wiggled. The wyvern smelled like greasy chicken. " _You're here, you're here! Me and Mommy have been having lots and lots of fun! We gots to go to class and learn lots of things like how to tell one funny plant from another! The dirty lady in the warm huts really liked me and I really likes-ed her too! She scratched my chin and I purred._ "

Hermione smirked as she scratched at Icarus's head. "Oh, yes, he's been quite the Belle of the Ball, so to speak," my girlfriend mused at she looked down at Icarus with an adoring look. If possible I would have melted into a pile of goo on the bench next to her; there were giddy butterflies in my chest and I think I just fell in love with my girlfriend all over again. I snapped out of my dopiness when Hermione patted my cheek and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I am now," I told her truthfully. "Hermione, you are like the best mood improver ever! You make me happy just by being you…unless you're angry and then not so much because then I've to find out why you're angry and then, possibly, hunt down what made you angry and as I can no longer punch people indiscriminately like I used to…well, I have to find new ways of making them apologize and," I looked over to a befuddled Harry, "I think that your uncle is in Africa. He really shouldn't have made the giant woman, who is normally really nice and understanding, upset. She threw him through the fire like he was…well, something really light and I think I've caught a case of the rambles. Is that possible?" I asked looking back to a bemused Hermione, "is it possible to catch a case of the rambles? I think I have, we should look in to that and while I'd rather not visit the Mistress of Agony, Anguish and Atrocious Afflictions, I think it might be in order…"

Hermione put her hand over my mouth to stop me talking. "Athena," she stated softly, big brown eyes so pretty, "have you taken any potions today?" she didn't remove her hand so I just nodded. "Why? And I want your answer in short form."

She removed her hand. "Ugh…" I blinked dumbly. I could do short answer form. "Went to France, found a lost child of Black, fought Uno and Dos and got sort of beaten up and ended up in the Beauxbatons's…" I frowned not sure how ownership worked in the case of Beauxbatons that already had the 's' at the end. It sounded funny, I really should finish my nap, "err…infirmary."

"I think we might need…the 'loooonnnnggg answer'," Fred and George said, they seemed the only ones capable of responding.

I frowned and looked to Harry. "But Sirius drew the short straw," I actually pouted at him as my shoulders shagged. This wasn't fair!

**H**

Hermione was grateful that she, Harry and Draco had listened to Athena's tale. It'd been awkward to everyone but the sleep deprived Athena; who'd told the tale as if she were listing off items on a shopping list. Hermione had made Athena eat dinner beforehand and then it seemed the whole council but Auror Danvers and Dimitri wound up in the Camelot dorm; Hermione wasn't comfortable calling the Knight dorms or whatever Athena had been calling them.

Everyone had remained quite during Athena's telling and stayed that away for a while after when she'd had Dimitri help her to bed with Icarus following. Ron had been the first to leave, a red tinge to his cheeks that Hermione was sure to mean that he was remembering his forced time as a girl. She wondered how he was handling that and if Su Li was to blame for any lasting effects.

It was Susan who broke the silence by smacking Harry's shoulder and announcing loudly, "Potter, your sister is a rotten tosser! If she writes me one more love letter, I'm sending one back that's cursed! See how she likes being bald!"

Su Li cackled happily at the proclamation, clapping her hands together and promising that she'd help. The laughing continued after Susan had pushed the former Ravenclaw off the footstool on which she'd been sitting. Hermione honestly thought that Susan was protesting too much because she'd seen Susan blushing happily when she'd received the first letter; she'd also seen Susan sneakily post one in return on her Hogwarts map.

Personally, Hermione wasn't sure what to think. Sirius becoming a girl and getting pregnant was not the weirdest thing to have happen since she'd entered the magical world. To her it was just strange biology; having unicorns, flying horses and a girlfriend who could shape-shift into a hawk and herself turn into a fox…now that was weird. It was, however, irksome that Lindsey Clarke happened to be Sirius's daughter but that annoyance she'd felt now made sense; it was apparently hereditary.

Hermione had snuck into Athena's room when Auror Danvers started shooing kids out of the dorms. Athena was laying facedown with Icarus between her shoulder blades. Unable to resist the urge, Hermione stole some too-big sleeping clothes and crawled into bed with her girlfriend after killing the lights. She was content to simply lay next to Athena and inhale the minty freshness of her girlfriend.

**H**

Professor McGonagall did not look amused nor charmed when she woke Hermione the next morning; Athena being all but dead to the world with a soft buzzing snore. With a huff, McGonagall summoned Jubilee in order to bring Hermione a set of clean clothes and then sent the girl off to the bathroom to change. Poor Icarus cowered down on Athena's back when he moved to follow Hermione to the bathroom but was stopped with a glare.

In the common room, sitting at the couch with a knowing smirk, was a fresh faced Draco. Hermione gave him a two-fingered salute when he started clapping. Once Hermione was dressed, she and Draco were ushered out of the dorms by McGonagall towards her office. Icarus sneaking through before the monks had closed themselves to try and haphazardly land on Hermione's shoulder.

" _Sorry, Mommy,_ " he said as Hermione turned at the last second and caught him. Since she'd woken up Sunday she'd been working with the wyvern to improve his speech. Flying as next on that list. " _Momma was still sleeping and Icky was awake, so Icky decided to go with Mommy. Are we going to visit the classroom again today? Icy want to go flying!_ "

Hermione smirked. "Yes, we are going to class today," she told the little wyvern and he groaned loudly.

"Seems like someone doesn't like class," Draco smirked. "Guess he's more normal than you are, Girl Granger."

" _Fink he'd look the same with pink hair?_ " Icarus asked before blowing Draco a raspberry and Hermione wondered for a second if Icarus was capable of that type of magic.

However, Hermione was capable of that type of magic. She waited until they were near McGonagall's office to slip her wand into her hand and mutter the spell to make Draco's hair pink under her breath. Icarus noticed first and the little wyvern started chuffing with laughter until his bronze eyes started to fill up with tears; it was only when McGonagall turned to look questioningly at Draco as he might have known what caused the wyvern's mirth.

It was only years of self-control that kept the woman from laughing but not from smiling. Draco was too focused on Icarus to notice the change in his transfiguration professor and so he walked into her office without knowing what was truly going on; his confusion was only compounded when Harry started laughing and spitting out bits of ginger newts as he did so.

" _He not look the same with pink hair_ ," Icarus told Hermione whilst shaking his head. " _The fake dragon look better!_ "

"Umm…Draco, Icarus loves your hair, by the way." Hermione mentioned trying to keep a straight face.

That face was lost when Draco caught sight of himself in the mirror that McGonagall had transfigured from a cookie. Draco's eyes went wide and he screamed like a girl from a B-horror movie. He was running his fingers through it as if that'd make the color go away when his mother came through the floo.

"I approve the change, my son." Narcissa Black told Draco as she was biting her fist to keep from laughing.

"Mother, this isn't funny!" Draco whined. "Pink's not in my color wheel! Look at this!" he cried pulling at his hair. "Blue or green or Merlin's ball sack Gryffindor red! I'm not Nym, I can't pull this off."

"How do you know what color Merlin's ball sack was?" Harry asked cheekily.

Draco just crossed his arms over his chest and raised his chin. "A gentlemen doesn't kiss and tell, Potter."

"Boys!" McGonagall chided, scandalized. "Enough of that." With a flick of her wand Draco's hair returned to its normal color and Icarus pouted. "Now," McGonagall said tersely, "there is a reason that you three were called here. Miss Granger, you were asked for though this situation does not truly affect you as it does Mr. Potter and Mr. Black."

The three teens looked at each other before Harry asked, "Is this about Sirius? Athena sort of told us last night but she wasn't…feeling well."

"What was wrong with here?" McGonagall demanded, her voice laced with concern.

The boys looked to Hermione. "She was a bit sleep deprived or something along those lines, Professor and there was something about minotaurs in Champ Doré."

McGonagall's sharp gaze snapped to Aunt Cissy, who shrugged and said, "I wasn't there for that, you'd have better luck getting Andy to answer your questions. I'm strictly here to introduce the situation but it seems my lovely and very understanding niece has done that for me."

"Mum," Draco called softly, "what do you mean by introducing the situation, exactly? Because we already know that Sirius pulled a switcheroo and also had a dorm-baby."

McGonagall scowled at Draco. "Don't call them that!" she hissed angrily. Hermione got the feeling that was a touchy subject for the woman.

Aunt Cissy nodded slowly. "Well, that's not far off the mark. Sirius was supposed to be the one to explain everything but considering the reaction to most who've seen her so far, well…I-we…we thought it better to give you a warning. Sirius should be arriving in five minutes…so consider yourselves warned my little ducks."

With that Aunt Cissy wondered over to the couch that was now a permanent fixture of McGonagall's office and gracefully threw herself on to the soft leather. She smiled at Draco and patted the seat next to her and Draco groan before doing as silently commanded. Harry and Hermione seating themselves in the chairs that lived at the front of McGonagall's desk.

Hermione had seen pictures of Bellatrix McGonagall nee' Black and she almost thought she was looking at a double when Sirius came through the floo. There were differences but such a resemblance that Hermione didn't blame the DMLE for storming Gringotts. Sirius, Hermione decided, looked amazing as a woman; there was a naturalness to this Sirius that hadn't been there before.

A quick glance around showed that Hermione was not the only one who was awed by this version of Sirius. Even Sirius's constant smile and the glow about her was captivating. The only one who seemed not to be in awe was Aunt Cissy, who looked slightly bored with the whole thing.

"I think I broke them," Sirius teased and grinned at Aunt Cissy, getting an eye roll in return.

**H**

The first question that Harry asked was, "did you and my dad really, ya know…do that thing that adults do to have kids together? I know how it works," he glared at Draco, "but I'd rather not think certain things, alright flamingo head?!"

Draco put up his hands for peace as Sirius frowned. She'd taken a seat on the sofa next to Draco with almost the same amount of grace as her cousin had. Hermione wondered if that was natural or practiced or a bit of both.

"Harry, you have to understand that the situation between your father and I was, had always been complicated." Sirius stated. It was strange to hear the change in tone after having gotten use to Sirius's deeper voice. "He and I had always had a connection, we met on the train and became instant friends. Our families didn't associate and when James Potter told me that he was going to be a Gryffindor, well, I wanted to be one too. We loved each other as friends and then as more. I'm not saying that James didn't love your mother, Harry, because he really did. However, not all lovers will love the same." Sirius tried to explain but Hermione wasn't sure that Harry understood; she didn't even understand completely. "James and I did…shag, for lack of a better term, after I'd taken a human transfiguration pill and because the woman I was meant to be."

Harry nodded slowly, chewing at his lower lip. "Athena said that you got caught being a girl and that's part of why you ran away. I just…why did you change?" he asked looking confused. "Athena explained that it was like needing to change into your animagus form, your magic and body itching to change but you can't so you're restless, irritable and feeling like you're going to crawl out of your own skin."

"Wow," Sirius looked shocked at the description. "She's not wrong, that…that is a very good description of what it feels like but missing a few things. There's a sense of wrongness and wanting some of the same things as girls like make up and dresses or earrings. Pretty things that the other girls gushed about all the time." Sirius shrugged and leaned back into the couch. "Or agreeing with them, silently of course, about which boy was cuter or had the nicer bum or filled out Quidditch robes better. I hated myself for a long time for wanting to be included in those discussions and not knowing why until James turned me into a girl as a prank."

"Did my mum know about you and James and Lindsey?" Harry wanted to know, he blinked away tears.

Sirius shrugged. "I honestly don't know but I think so. After James and I were forced to give up Lindsey to keep her safe from my mother essentially, James and I grew apart." Sirius smiled then, a little smile that seemed sad to Hermione. "When he told me that Lilly was pregnant with you, Harry, he was so excited just like when he found out about Lindsey. However, Lilly became slightly cold and distant with me." Sirius shook her head and sighed. "James may have told her but swore her to secrecy because my relationship with her was never the same. I mean, nothing happened between James and me once he started dating Lilly. He was fully with her the whole way throughout their relationship."

Harry nodded again and Hermione couldn't help but hear Athena's voice in her head about Harry beginning to look like a bobble-head doll. Hermione wondered how much more Harry could take before he lost his self-control. There was so much about James that Harry didn't know and this, this was a shock to everyone and not just Harry.

"So, if Tom Riddle hadn't been a royal ass-hat with illusions of grandeur, would you've stayed like…would you have stayed as a woman?" Harry asked curiously as he wiped away a tear.

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I would have. My soul feels settled and less…turbulent now as it did the first time I got to experience being female. I feel at peace."

Harry shifted in his chair, Hermione could see that his next question was one that he was struggling with; he was trying to find the words to express what he wanted. Hermione shook her head when he copped out and chose a different question. She had to wonder what question burned in Harry's mind that made him change directions.

"Are you really pregnant?" Harry blurted and looked, for a brief second angry at himself but quickly schooled his features.

Sirius grinned, a hand going to her stomach. "Yes, I am."

**A**

I woke to Jubilee poking my cheek and calling my name, after batting her hand away I sat up and decided that I felt better. Much better and could think clearly. Jubilee was still standing beside the bed and looked a little worried. I felt dread in my bones because whenever Jubilee was worried it meant that something was seriously wrong.

"What's wrong, Jubilee?" I asked, slightly scared of what answer she was going to give. "Did Uncle Ted fail in taking care of Lupin? Is something wrong with Nym? Please tell me that Aunt Andy and Aunt Cissy hasn't done something to Sirius because I don't feel up to looking for corpses. Also, so not kosher to hurt pregnant people. Or is it Lindsey…would you even know something was wrong with her?"

Jubilee made to answer but stopped, folding her arms over her chest and glowered at me. "I would most certainly know if is Miss Lindsey was needing something. Do not doubt my awesomeness!"

I frowned at the elf. "You've been spending time with Su Li, haven't you?"

The little elf merely shrugged. "I may or may not have been. However, that is not the reason I am waking Miss Hammy. Miss Sirius and Miss Cissy have come to Hogwarts to talk to Mister Harry and Draco and Miss Myne. Err…I don't think it was going so well, Mister Harry got upset and stormed out of Gran's office and has missed his morning classes."

"Oh," I took a moment to process that and then frowned. "What time is it, anyways?"

"An hour before noon," Jubilee answered promptly. "Gran asked me to ask you to find Harry and make sure that he's alright. He's in Miss Myrtle's bathroom. He has not eaten the breakfast that I brought him, he is a naughty boy."

I wondered if I was going to catch hell from Hermione about missing even more class. With Jubilee's help, I was up and dressed in short order and off to find Harry. Who was, in fact, in Myrtle's bathroom and was listening to Myrtle sing out whatever new song she'd learned.

If the ghost could have blushed she would have when I started clapping for her. When I praised her growing abilities, Myrtle gave a cry and dove into her toilet with a splash. I hadn't meant to embarrass her because she'd gotten really good.

"I take it you heard about Sirius's visit." Harry asked, sitting on the desk purloined from Lockhart's classroom.

I shrugged blue and crème colored shoulders. "Just a little but as I know the story she was telling, well, that must have been…weird, confusing and slightly heartbreaking."

Harry nodded slowly before asking, "How do you do it? How do you visit your mum?"

"Usually with approval from Madam Bones," I smirked when Harry gave me a two fingered salute. "Harry, you really shouldn't compare situations between myself and you. There's a lot that I don't talk to her about, mainly my father. Everything I know about him I could count off on maybe both hands. I don't ask because he doesn't feel real to me; just a guy in a photo with my mum." I told him and he frowned. I wasn't sure the frown was because he understood or he didn't.

"Do…do you think…do you think," Harry growled as he stumbled over his question and I leaned against a divider between stalls. "Do you think Sirius would have been my mum if everything had worked out for them, for Sirius and my dad?"

I shrugged. "I hadn't given it any thought, to be honest but maybe. Things would have certainly been different, that's for sure." There was something about Harry's question that made me ask, "Harry…do you want to think of Sirius as a sort of, I don't know, mother figure because she did have a kid with your dad. Like, she and he were together first?"

Tears filled his eyes and he glared at his drawn up knees. "Does that make me a bad person?" he asked. "For wanting a connection to my father? For thinking that, in some way, Sirius as that mother figure makes me closer to my dad because they wanted to be a family once upon a time? Does that tarnish the memory of my mum?"

"No," I shook my head. "I think of Helena as a mother figure, in fact I should really get together with her later now that I mention that," I mused and shrugged. "Harry, I really do see Helena as a mother figure and Kaylee as well depending upon the situation. Mother, aunt, older sister, a female authority figure…Kaylee just sorts of fills that docket weirdly well. Gran is sometimes a mother figure when she isn't yelling my middle name and sometimes when she is. However, all of them do not replace how I see my mum. She has her own special spot apart from the others and I know that she's happy that there are those that can fill that role for me, sad that it's not her but I digress."

"What about your dad?" Harry frowned and looked up at me.

I sighed heavily. "Again, he doesn't feel real to me. I like hearing stories about him and I like looking through the things he left behind but honestly, I don't feel the need to actively search for him. I'm not sure if there's anything that can make me feel close to Robert. If you really want to me think on it," I paused and then willed myself to admit, "I think that Fraser totally ruined that father figure role for me. Uncle Ted is an amazing man and I really do look up to him but I don't think of him as a father. Rupert came the closest but I still thought of him as my uncle. I'm sure that Healer Ball, the mind healer lady, would be interested in that admission but it's the truth. Maybe, Harry, you should sit down with Neville or Susan. Neither of them knew their parents either, if I'm not mistaken."

Harry nodded and slipped down off his desk. He wiped at a stray tear before calling out a goodbye to Myrtle before he pulled me out of the bathroom by the hand. It was lunch time and I could hear his stomach rumbling.

"Do you think Lindsey would like a letter from me?" he asked suddenly, having let go my hand as we walked down the hall.

I smiled at him and nodded. "I think she would. I think that she's just as confused as you are in this whole shuffleboard of parental characters."

Harry nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. The wheels in his head were turning and he was chewing at his lip. I think Neville will be the first to be approached and then Susan if Harry didn't get the answers enough from Neville. Hopefully they would be of more help than myself.


End file.
